Three groups filed amicus briefs in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit backing the American Historical Association (AHA), American Oversight, Freedom of the Press Foundation, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) in their fight to stop the Trump administration from evading the Presidential Records Act (PRA). [Read more…] about New Amicus Briefs Back Fight to Protect Presidential Records
National Archives
The Declaration of Independence as American Scripture
Each year, millions of visitors flock to see the engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives building in Washington, DC where it rests on display with the United States’s other Charters of Freedom.
But how did it end up there and why do people approach it with religious reverence? [Read more…] about The Declaration of Independence as American Scripture
Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Disregarding Presidential Records Act
On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted emergency relief in the American Historical Association and American Oversight’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to evade the Presidential Records Act (PRA).
The injunction, which takes effect at 9 am on Tuesday, May 26, enjoins the White House Office, the National Security Council, the US DOGE Service, and all advisors to the president to comply in full with the PRA. [Read more…] about Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Disregarding Presidential Records Act
Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
American Oversight and the American Historical Association have filed suit challenging a sweeping memorandum from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel that declared the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional and that President Donald Trump “need not further comply” with its requirements, effectively encouraging the president to violate federal law.
The lawsuit argues that the memo relies on virtually no judicial authority and defies binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent outright, representing what they say is “a radical attempt to nullify a law that has governed presidential records for nearly half a century.” [Read more…] about Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
Trump Regime Announces Major National Archives Facility Closing to the Public
The National Archives at College Park (also known as Archives II), a major facility of the National Archives and Records Administration located in College Park, Maryland has announced it is closing its doors to the public, except for those with a vague “legitimate business need,” on July 7th.
The building primarily holds government records of the 20th century and receives current holdings from the 21st century as they become available from government agencies. It is also home to the nation’s collection of cartographic, moving images, sound recordings, and photographs. About 80% of the records at the facility were open to the public. [Read more…] about Trump Regime Announces Major National Archives Facility Closing to the Public
National Archives Uses AI To Advance Revolutionary War Service Records Access
The National Archives, through a partnership with FamilySearch, has used AI to extract text for all 2,322,137 pages of the Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 to ca. 1912. The records are now available in the National Archives Catalog. [Read more…] about National Archives Uses AI To Advance Revolutionary War Service Records Access
September 17th is Constitution Day: Some History
In 2004, Congress passed a law recognizing September 17th as Constitution Day. On that date in 1787, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia put their signatures on the Constitution of the United States. Local celebrations of Constitution Day started over 100 years ago, but it didn’t become federal law until 2004. [Read more…] about September 17th is Constitution Day: Some History
NATO History: A 75-Year Alliance
Seventy-five years ago on April 4, 1949, foreign ministers from the United States and 11 countries (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom) gathered in Washington, DC to sign the Washington Treaty.
Also known as the North Atlantic Treaty, the treaty derives its authority from Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which affirms the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense. [Read more…] about NATO History: A 75-Year Alliance
Bending Toward Justice: Civil Rights in the Federal Courts
African Americans have historically used the court system to pursue equal rights. The cases span the history of the United States, beginning well before the Civil Rights Era.
The National Archives Catalog includes cases that famously went to the Supreme Court, such as Scott v. Sandford in 1857 (the Dred Scott case), Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, and Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. [Read more…] about Bending Toward Justice: Civil Rights in the Federal Courts
National Archives’ Inventor & Engineering History Records
Lately, you can’t look at the news without coming across a story about artificial intelligence and how it will shape our future. But inventors and engineers have been using creativity and ingenuity for centuries to design the future. [Read more…] about National Archives’ Inventor & Engineering History Records
Lake Tonetta’s Black Revolutionary War Heritage
For many years, there has been great debate regarding the origins of the name of Lake Tonetta in the Town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York. Lake Tonetta, also known as Tone’s Pond or Waring’s Pond, has been associated with a great deal of folklore.
It was often suggested that the lake was named after Tone, an enslaved Black man who was promised his freedom by Southeast resident John Waring in exchange for his service in the Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about Lake Tonetta’s Black Revolutionary War Heritage
Albany Area History Fellowship Will Document Untold Stories from 1664-1827
The New Netherland Institute will be offering a paid graduate fellowship working with the “Documenting Untold Stories 1664-1827: Albany County NY Archives Survey” project.
Scholars doing graduate work in History, African American Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Germanic Literature, or archives management (and allied fields) are invited to apply. [Read more…] about Albany Area History Fellowship Will Document Untold Stories from 1664-1827
United States Immigration Records: A Primer
On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened its doors as a federal immigration station and began receiving immigrants. From 1892 to 1954 it was one of the major entry points for immigrants, processing more than 12 million people in 62 years. [Read more…] about United States Immigration Records: A Primer
World War II Oral Histories at the National Archives
The National Archives record series World War II Oral Histories, Interviews and Statements, ca. April 1942–ca. December 1946 has been a transcription mission for the last few months where Citizen Archivists have transcribed more than 6,800 pages. Each transcribed word is now searchable in the catalog, and their stories even more accessible to the public. [Read more…] about World War II Oral Histories at the National Archives
Heritage Spotlight: Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Dutchess County
The lifelong home of America’s 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) in Hyde Park, Dutchess County, NY, was purchased by Roosevelt’s father James Roosevelt I in 1867 and named “Springwood.” [Read more…] about Heritage Spotlight: Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Dutchess County
The United States’ First Veterans: Accessing Revolutionary War Pension Files
Vermont Revolutionary War veteran Edward Elley was 95 years old when he recounted the story of his service in a sworn affidavit for his pension file.
Spread out over several years, his service culminated at the Battle of Yorktown. [Read more…] about The United States’ First Veterans: Accessing Revolutionary War Pension Files
Exploring Records Related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)
![Scientific Study of UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) [image cropped] National Archives Identifier 295136808](https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Scientific-Study-of-UFOs-Unidentified-Flying-Objects-image-cropped-National-Archives-Identifier-295136808.jpg)
The American cultural phenomena of “flying saucers” started in 1947 when a civilian aircraft pilot saw several objects from his plane that he claimed were traveling at supersonic speeds. Reports of more flying saucers soon proliferated throughout the country and the term “unidentified flying object” was coined by the military in 1952.
When a rancher found unidentified debris including rubber, tape, and tinfoil near Roswell, NM, the most enduring UFO legend was born. [Read more…] about Exploring Records Related to Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)
Railroad Records at the National Archives: A Primer
The National Archives’ Cartographic Branch contains more than 69 record groups and 215 series that include maps, architectural and engineering drawings, and aerial photographs that all relate to railroads in the United States, with widespread coverage of regions all over the world. The dates of these records range from 1828 to 2009, with the bulk of records covering other countries and regions from the early to mid 20th century. [Read more…] about Railroad Records at the National Archives: A Primer
Help Transcribe Revolutionary War Pension Files
In celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence, the National Archives and the National Park Service are collaborating on a special project to transcribe Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 – ca. 1912. These Revolutionary War Pension Files consist of applications and other records pertaining to claims for pensions and bounty land warrants. [Read more…] about Help Transcribe Revolutionary War Pension Files
JFK Assassination Records Transcription Opportunity
President John F. Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963. Nearly 30 years after his death, Congress enacted the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. The Act mandated that all assassination-related material be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. [Read more…] about JFK Assassination Records Transcription Opportunity