American history

Prepared remarks provided below

April 04, 2008 -- Fort Wayne, IN - Speaking in Fort Wayne this morning, Senator Barack Obama commemorated the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, calling on Americans to continue King's lifelong pursuit of social and economic justice.

Barack Obama supporters: Photo by Barack Obama campaign (CC)

Obama was introduced at the event by Mike Riley, Indiana Campaign Chairman for Senator Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential run. Riley was with Kennedy in Indianapolis when word hit that that Dr. King had been killed.    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- Washington, DC -- Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry last night introduced legislation to protect a one-of-a kind national historic treasure, Colonel James Barrett’s Farm in Concord, Massachusetts. The farm was a central site in the first battle of the Revolutionary War in 1775.    » read more »

13 November 2007 -- U.S. Presidential Libraries are not typical libraries. They are archives and museums where a president's documents and artifacts are preserved for public study and discussion. The libraries are built with private funds and then operated by the National Archives. The newest addition is dedicated to the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton. For producer Wang Yiru, Elaine Lu has more on the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas.    » read more »

Green Renovation and Expansion of “Marine Commandant’s Residence” to Preserve History of Navy Yard, Document Growth of City-Owned Industrial Park

November 7, 2007 -- New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn today announced plans for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Historical Center, which will be housed in the United States Marine Corps Commandant’s residence, built in 1857 and now known as Building 92.    » read more »

Oct. 4, 2007 -- The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History elected three prominent historians, Ellsworth H. Brown, James O. Horton and Vicki Ruiz, to its advisory board effective Oct. 5. The Smithsonian's Board of Regents approved the three candidates for three-year terms with the option of serving a second term.    » read more »

Monday, September 10, 2007, RICHMOND, Ky. – The Annual “Siege of Boonesborough” will be held Sept. 22-23 at Fort Boonesborough State Park near Richmond.

This weekend commemorates the 1778 siege in which Native Americans attacked the pioneer fort along the Kentucky River. The siege ended after nine days when the Native Americans left.    » read more »

According to two new studies, says University of Georgia anthropologist

Sept. 4, 2007, Athens, Ga. – By 1763, the world of Cherokee Indians in the Southeastern U.S. was in tatters. The French and Indian War had wracked the sprawling Cherokee settlements that stretched from the headwaters of the Savannah River in South Carolina and Georgia to the Overhills towns in eastern Tennessee. Though 75 years would pass before the Trail of Tears would banish the remnants of the nation west to Oklahoma, the tribe watched hopelessly as much of its history rapidly faded.    » read more »

“Many Voices,” State History’s 55th annual conference, will look at Utah's history from multiple perspectives

June 27, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey of Petaluma announced today $750,000 in proposed federal funding for the renovation of the Angel Island Immigration Station Hospital building. The funding included in the fiscal year 2008 House Interior and Environment Appropriations bill will be used to rehabilitate the historic hospital building.    » read more »

“Freedom’s Treasures” Exhibit Features Washington’s Farewell Address and Other Revolutionary War Historical Artifacts

June 26, 2007 -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer today invited the public to the State Capitol to view a rare display of Revolutionary War-era historical artifacts, including Washington’s Farewell Address. The artifacts will be on display July 4th – 6th.    » read more »

I BELIEVE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE; WHOSE JUST POWERS ARE DERIVED FROM THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED; A DEMOCRACY IN A REPUBLIC, A SOVEREIGN NATION OF MANY SOVEREIGN STATES; A PERFECT UNION, ONE AND INSEPARABLE; ESTABLISHED UPON THOSE PRINCIPLES OF FREEDOM, EQUALITY, JUSTICE, AND HUMANITY FOR WHICH AMERICAN PATRIOTS SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES AND FORTUNES.

I THEREFORE BELIEVE IT IS MY DUTY TO MY COUNTRY TO LOVE IT, TO SUPPORT ITS CONSTITUTION; TO OBEY ITS LAWS; TO RESPECT ITS FLAG; AND TO DEFEND IT AGAINST ALL ENEMIES.    » read more »

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

The Pledge of Allegiance received official recognition by Congress in an Act approved on June 22, 1942. However, the pledge was first published in 1892 in the Youth's Companion magazine in Boston, Massachusetts to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America, and was first used in public schools to celebrate Columbus Day on October 12, 1892.    » read more »

The Flag House is located on the northwest corner of Albemarle and Pratt Streets in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the home of Mary Pickersgill from 1807 to 1857, and it was where she made the original "Star-Spangled Banner," which measured 30 by 42 feet. The stripes were two feet wide and the stars were two feet from point to point. Mrs. Pickersgill was paid $405.90 for her services. The flag was delivered to Fort McHenry on August 19, 1813, a full year before the Battle of Baltimore.    » read more »

Fort McHenry is located in Baltimore, Maryland. This low citadel overlooks the entrance to Baltimore harbor and it is where the Americans defended the city against British land and naval attack on September 13-14 in 1814. It was during this battle that Francis Scott Key began the draft to "The Star-Spangled Banner" after seeing the flag still flying after a day and night of bombardment.    » read more »

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782.    » read more »