#archivesjuly4

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How did the colonists learn about the Declaration of Independence? They might have seen this large poster, known as the Dunlap Broadside. Only 26 copies are now known to exist, and the National Archives has one!

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Celebrate Independence Day With Us!

Join us for the first-ever National Archives virtual celebration of July 4th! With online programming, educational opportunities & a special presentation of the traditional reading ceremony, this July 4th will be as patriotic as ever.  

[yourthomasjefferson]

Watch a brief news interview in which I discuss my plans for #Independenceday2017 and the meaning of July 4th — youtu.be/X0tN-GoHW_A @USNatArchives @AmRevMuseum @wstaib @independencenps #ArchivesJuly4 #Happy4thofJuly #IndependenceDay #ThomasJefferson #YourThomasJefferson #history #USA #foundingfathers #AmericanRevolution #Revolution #Revolutionarywar #patriotism #America #history #AmericanHistoricalTheatre (at National Archives Building)

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July 4th at the Archives

Join us on #July4th in person at the National Archives for our annual celebration of Independence Day!

See the full schedule: https://www.archivesjuly4.org/

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The National Archives celebrates the 243rd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with special events in Washington, DC, and at many of our Presidential Libraries nationwide:  

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, West Branch, IA The library will hold a reading of the Declaration of Independence, along with a free concert by the Eastern Iowa Brass Band at 2 p.m. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS Watch the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the Visitors Center Auditorium at 10 a.m. The first 100 attendees will receive a free fan!

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will offer free admission to all members of the active military. Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, Austin, TX The museum willl be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free museum admission for all on July 4.

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA Witness history with Revolutionary War encampments and battle skirmishes.  Talk with historical reenactors including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Betsy Ross, General Charles Cornwallis, and Benjamin Franklin. Special patriotic performance by the Placentia Symphonic Band.  

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, MI See the broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the theater.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA Participate in family-fun activities, including patriotic concerts, entertainment, games, crafts, and more. All outdoor activities are free; regular admission rates for the Presidential  Museum, Air Force One Pavilion, and our blockbuster special exhibit, "The World of da Vinci."

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX The library will show a live broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony at 10 a.m. 

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Dallas, TX The library will broadcast the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the classroom at 10 a.m. There will also be an opportunity to write letters to our troops overseas.

[usnatarchives]

Stop by the National Archives Foundation’s Store Tent on #FourthOfJuly and register to vote with HeadCount, a national non-partisan voter registration organization.

[usnatarchives]

Join us for #ArchivesJuly4!

The National Archives in Washington, DC, celebrates our country’s founding with a Fourth of July program for people of all ages! Enjoy a performance by The Experience Band & Show, huzzah and boo during in a dramatic Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony, and participate in family activities inside the National Archives Museum.

We’ll be live streaming the event through both YouTube and Facebook. Or celebrate at one of our Presidential libraries around the nation!

Check out some highlights from last year’s event below, and share your July 4 fun on social media using #ArchivesJuly4. See the full schedule here.

[usnatarchives]

Catsup: The Classic American Condiment

Today’s post comes to us from Emily Rollman, summer intern in the Public and Media Communications Office. No American cookout would be complete without ketchup. Millions of Americans douse th…

No American cookout would be complete without ketchup. Millions of Americans douse their french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, and other cookout favorites with the condiment every day. The tomato-based sauce is even a staple for military personnel and astronauts!

Catsup, now more commonly known as “ketchup,” was a British term designated for any “spiced” sauce. The British had access to a myriad of spices from their exploits across the world. Their ketchup was made of oysters, cloves, cayenne, cherries, walnuts, vinegars, mace, and more.

Americans were the first to create ketchup with tomatoes, a crop native to North America, and an 1896 issue of The New York Tribune even declared tomato ketchup to be America’s national condiment found “on every table in the land.” The most famous tomato ketchup is the Heinz 57 variety. Apparently, founder Henry Heinz purposely created his own spelling of “ketchup” to differentiate from his “catsup”-peddling competitors.

Early tomato ketchup was made from fermented skins and cores. But these fermenting tomato leftovers could explode and burst their containers! The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, finally made this dangerous condiment safe to consume–and keep in the cupboard.

Read more the history of this delicious condiment on Pieces of History.