National Museum of American History - D.C.

One of my favorite Smithsonian museums to visit in D.C. is the National Museum of American History. I was gobsmacked at the wonderful and informative exhibits and artifacts the museum housed, including a large statue of George Washington in a Roman robe (that was once located under the Capital's Rotunda). The museum showcases the evolution of our nation's history (including economic growth, presidents & political discourse, and military/foreign affairs) and melting-pot culture. Below are several photographs of exhibits from the museum that I found particularly interesting. Enjoy!

Washington D.C. was an enjoyable trip - I am definitely going to visit our nation's capitol in the future! I am pictured outside the Cannon House Office Building on the U.S. Capital grounds. Author's collections.

The museum had a superb exhibit on boats/sea vessels throughout American history. I was fascinated at the model of the RMS Titanic and a steamboat named J.M. White (pictured above). Steamboats were an important mode of travel in the early days of the nineteenth century - during the first Industrial Revolution in America, steamboats carried foods, manufactured goods, and people (enslaved Africans) up-and-down the Mississippi River. Steamboats would later be replaced by the railroads. Author's collections.

The museum also had a wonderful exhibit on Julia Child, an American cook and television personality in the 1960s and 1970s. Child's television programs inspired many citizens to cook "fancy" yet simple and tasty international meals in their own kitchens -- these were the days before the popular Food Network programs. Julia Child received the Legion of Honor, the highest civilian decoration given by the French government, in 2000 for introducing French cuisine to millions of Americans via her cooking shows and books. Author's collections.

Since its inception in the early 1950s, fast food has evolved into one of America's multi-million dollar industries. Pictured here are McDonald's food boxes from the latter decades of the twentieth century. At first, fast food establishments were walk-up facilities, where patrons would "walk up" to a counter and receive their greasy food. By the 1970s, since commuters and fast food fans wanted to save time, fast food facilities began installing drive-thru windows -- then, Americans could order and receive their food within minutes without needing to leave the car. The drive-thru craze took the nation by storm... by 2014, one study estimated that 20% of all meals in the United States were eaten in a car. Author's collections.

Pictured is a fascinating exhibit the museum had on the history of supermarkets - local grocery stores and vegetable markets in American small towns have existed since this country was established in the 1600s, yet the first grocery store chain in America was Kroger, created by Ohio businessman Barney Kroger in 1883. Since then, grocery stores have increased in size and number of products. Author's collections.

Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President LBJ, is one of my favorite First Ladies to read about. She was a tough cookie who pursued her own political agenda in the White House while supporting her husband. Lady Bird raised environmental awareness by promoting visitation to America's national parks, lobbying Congress to regulate highway billboards, and encouraging teenagers to partake in local conservation projects. She once described her "beautification" program in the 1960s as "the whole effort to bring the natural world into harmony, to bring order, usefulness, and delight to our whole environment." She was particularly invested to the preservation of the Giant Redwoods in California. Pictured is one of Lady Bird's dinner dresses. Author's collections.

Every First Lady since Abigail Adams has decorated the White House with lavish furniture items and gorgeous silverware (Martha Washington and her husband never lived in the executive mansion). Pictured are the plates, pitcher, and wine glasses purchased by Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of our 16th president. The luxurious silverware was produced by the American firm E.V. Haughwout. The Lincoln White House also used crystalized table pieces manufactured by the Dorflinger Glass Company. Author's collections. 

Pictured is George Washington's portable writing case. Washington wrote many letters to politicians, military generals, and civilians during his tenure as commander of the Continental Army (with assistance from Alexander Hamilton, Washington's private secretary during the American Revolution). Washington was later elected the first president of these United States. Author's collections.

A colorful pennant from Herbert Hoover's inauguration, spring 1929. Hoover, the successful commerce secretary for most of the 1920s, served only one term as an underperforming president. He is best known for overseeing the government and economy during the early days of the Great Depression. Like his predecessors, Hoover did not believe in federal hand-outs and did not endorse economic relief. Unemployment soared after the October 1929 Stock Market crash and many were evicted from their homes - people's make-shift houses made out of tin and cardboard were suitably named "Hoovervilles". Historians and scholars usually consider Hoover to be one of our worst presidents. Author's collections.

The military uniform worn by Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II. Eisenhower, born in Denison, enjoyed a distinguished military career and quickly rose through the ranks. Prior to the June 1944 D-Day invasion of France, Eisenhower was named the supreme commander of all Allied armies in Europe. After the war, Eisenhower continued military service and was elected president in 1952, serving two terms and guiding the nation through the early days of the Cold War. Author's collections.

I recently finished teaching about FDR and the Great Depression in my standard U.S. History classes so this artifact is quite familiar. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, he reversed his predecessor's "laissez-faire" policies and gave hope to the starving, unemployed American public via the radio. FDR's first "fireside chat" on banking reform was delivered on March 12, 1933. It was a resounding success - people began to deposit their savings back into the banks a week later. Pictured is a CBS News microphone that was used by FDR during one of his chats. Author's collections.

I thoroughly enjoy wandering around museums and examining various artifacts - one of my favorite (& strange) artifacts in the National Museum of American History was a cast of Abraham Lincoln's hands, created on May 20, 1860, two days after the Illinois lawyer received the Republican Party's presidential nomination. The cast was produced by Leonard Volk. Lincoln's hands were swollen from shaking hands with many congratulating supporters. Author's collections.