American History

“We have submitted the issue to the American people and their will is law,” wrote Democrat William Jennings Bryan (pictured here on the campaign trail) in an 1896 telegram to Republican William McKinley.

Why Defeated Presidential Candidates Deliver Concession Speeches

The tradition dates back to 1896, when William Jennings Bryan conceded the election to William McKinley via telegram

The longtime "Jeopardy" host died of pancreatic cancer on November 8.

Alex Trebek on Why 'Jeopardy' Represents the American Dream

The game show host, who died Sunday at age 80, donated items to the Smithsonian in 2013

Maine and Nebraska allocate two electoral votes to the statewide winner but allow each congressional district to award one electoral vote to the popular vote winner in their specific locality.

Why Do Maine and Nebraska Split Their Electoral Votes?

Instead of a winner-take-all system, the states use the "congressional district method"

This month's book picks include A Demon-Haunted Land, South to Freedom and The Light Ages.

The Heiress Who Stole a Vermeer, Witchcraft in Post-WWII Germany and Other New Books to Read

These five November releases may have been lost in the news cycle

Rocky Vaughan designed the new state flag, which features a magnolia blossom—the state flower—encircled by 20 stars representing Mississippi's status as the 20th state to enter the Union and one star representing Indigenous Native Americans.

Mississippi Voters Approve New Design to Replace Confederate-Themed State Flag

The redesigned banner—approved by on Tuesday by 68 percent of voters—features a magnolia bloom and the words "In God We Trust"

Senator John F. Kennedy speaks to supporters at Chicago Stadium four days before the 1960 election.

Four Times the Results of a Presidential Election Were Contested

"Rigged" may not be the way to describe them, but there were definitely some shenanigans happening

Glass ballot boxes were used as a way to show voter transparency at the polls and became popular in the late 1800s.

A Glass Ballot Box Was the Answer to Voter Fraud in the 19th Century

This transparent approach let voters know that their ballots were counted

This photo, like some others in the collection, was taken in a photo booth, eliminating the need for a photographer.

Newly Published Portraits Document a Century of Gay Men's Relationships

"Loving" features around 300 photos that offer an intimate look at men's love between the 1850s and 1950s

Archaeologists found the remains of cabins, broken clay tobacco pipes, ceramic cups and other artifacts.

Maryland Archaeologists Unearth Jesuit Plantation's 18th-Century Slave Quarters

Researchers are working with the descendants of enslaved people seeking to document their family histories

The Santa Claus and Rudolph puppets are expected to sell for between $150,000 and $250,000.

Iconic 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' Puppets Are Up for Auction

You could own the Santa and Rudolph figurines featured in the classic 1964 holiday special

The liberal arts college is home to the country’s longest continuously operating broomcraft workshop.

This Kentucky College Has Been Making Brooms for 100 Years

Berea College's broomcraft program carries on an American craft tradition that’s rarely practiced today

Jacob Lawrence, There are combustibles in every State, which a spark might set fire to. —Washington, 26 December 1786, Panel 16, 1956, from Struggle: From the History of the American People, 1954–56

Long-Lost Jacob Lawrence Painting Spent 60 Years Hanging in NYC Apartment

A museum visitor realized she'd seen the missing work—part of the artist's "Struggle" series—in her neighbor's living room

Buried farm machinery in Dallas, South Dakota during the Dust Bowl in 1936.

Are the Great Plains Headed for Another Dust Bowl?

Researchers say atmospheric dust in the region has doubled in the last 20 years, suggesting the increasingly dry region is losing more soil skyward

The meteoric rise of Fernando Valenzuela, a left-handed pitcher (above: a monument at Dodger Stadium) from the rural town of Etchohuaquila in Sonora, Mexico, won the hearts of Latina and Latino audiences

The Complicated Relationship Between Latinos and the Los Angeles Dodgers

A new Smithsonian book and an upcoming exhibition, '¡Pleibol!,' recounts the singular importance of baseball in Latino history and culture

Labor leader Min Matheson was an inspiration to the garment workers she organized in Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Valley. Here, ILGWU members picket in Scranton in 1958.

The True Story of Min Matheson, the Labor Leader Who Fought the Mob at the Polls

The activist rallied garment workers and combated organized crime interests in northeast Pennsylvania in the mid-20th century

A new form of entertainment and a wandering trainload of frozen turkey triggered a convenience food boom.

A Brief History of the TV Dinner

Thanksgiving’s most unexpected legacy is heating up again

Anti-war Democrats objected to mail-in voting, citing widespread fears of voter fraud, as well as intimidation on the part of the pro-Republican military.

The Debate Over Mail-In Voting Dates Back to the Civil War

In 1864, Democrats and Republicans clashed over legislation allowing soldiers to cast their ballots from the front

At age 11, Naomi Wadler spoke before a crowd of thousands in 2018 about remembering the lives of black women and girls lost to gun violence.

How Girls Have Brought Political Change to America

The history of activism in young girls, who give voice to important issues in extraordinary ways, is the topic of a new Smithsonian exhibition.

Su Nueva Laundromat in West Lawn, Chicago, is the official polling place for about 700 registered voters.

Eight of America's Most Unusual Polling Places

To capture democracy in America, photographer Ryan Donnell tracks down polls in surprising locations across the country

Simone Leigh, an American sculptor, will represent the United States at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.

Meet the First Black Woman to Represent the U.S. at the Art World's Biggest Fair

Simone Leigh, whose large-scale ceramics explore black female subjectivity, will exhibit her work at the 2022 Venice Biennale

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