Browse Projects
100% Complete
53 Total pages
19 Contributing members
Thomas Henry Tibbles papers - Ponca Land Dispute: Statements and Petitions, 1879
Help us transcribe "Ponca Land Dispute: Statements and Petitions, 1879" (Box 2, Folder 01) from the Thomas Henry Tibbles papers! Thomas Henry Tibbles (1840-1928) was as a journalist and lecturer on Indian rights from the 1870s until his death in 1928. His papers include articles, essays, correspondence, lectures and photographs. Of particular note are the documents related to his work on the Standing Bear (Ponca) vs. George Crook Habeas Corpus trial in 1879.
Browse projects by National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center
100% Complete
41 Total pages
18 Contributing members
Thomas Henry Tibbles papers - Standing Bear vs. Crook: Argument of G.M. Lambertson, 1879
Help us transcribe "Standing Bear vs. Crook: Argument of G.M. Lambertson, 1879" (Box 2, Folder 07) from the Thomas Henry Tibbles papers! Thomas Henry Tibbles (1840-1928) was as a journalist and lecturer on Indian rights from the 1870s until his death in 1928. His papers include articles, essays, correspondence, lectures and photographs. Of particular note are the documents related to his work on the Standing Bear (Ponca) vs. George Crook Habeas Corpus trial in 1879.
Browse projects by National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center
100% Complete
7 Total pages
5 Contributing members
Thomas Henry Tibbles papers - Standing Bear: Letter to the Editor, 1879
Help us transcribe "Standing Bear: Letter to the Editor, 1879" (Box 2, Folder 06) from the Thomas Henry Tibbles papers! Thomas Henry Tibbles (1840-1928) was as a journalist and lecturer on Indian rights from the 1870s until his death in 1928. His papers include articles, essays, correspondence, lectures and photographs. Of particular note are the documents related to his work on the Standing Bear (Ponca) vs. George Crook Habeas Corpus trial in 1879.
Browse projects by National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center
100% Complete
155 Total pages
33 Contributing members
Three Roads to Urga (circa 1920s)
Three Roads to Urga is a description of travel, people and nature in Outer Mongolia. Based on historical events described in the text, Three Roads was likely written in the late 1920s. The author is unidentified, but possibly a Swedish entrepreneur named Georg Soderbom who accompanied many scientific expeditions to Central Asia. The text is plain and rough in places, but a thoroughly enjoyable read. Although his humorous descriptions of the backward conditions and people of Mongolia may seem uncomplimentary at times, it is also apparent that he held an abiding respect and affection for the country and its culture.
Browse projects by Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
100% Complete
2 Total pages
4 Contributing members
Ticket stub for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics was an international multi-sport event held in Berlin, Germany, under the Nazi Regime. The games were the first to be televised, and radio broadcasts reached forty-one countries. Adolf Hitler, Chancellor of Germany, saw the Games as an opportunity to promote his government and ideals of racial supremacy. After threats of boycotts from other nations, he decided to allow Jewish people and people of color to participate in the Olympics. Eighteen African American athletes participated in the games, including track and field star Jesse Owens. During the games, Owens won four gold medals in sprint and long jump events and became the most successful athlete to compete in Berlin. Owens managed to break or equal nine Olympic records while also setting three world records. Help us transcribe this ticket for the August 9, 1936, track and field events where Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal in the 4x100 meter sprint relay.
Browse projects by National Museum of African American History and Culture
100% Complete
2 Total pages
5 Contributing members
Ticket to a championship boxing match between Joe Louis and Jim Braddock
Economic despair and widespread unemployment during the Great Depression lead many Americans to seek inspiration and hope in the world of sports. When boxer Joe Louis burst onto the scene in the mid-1930s he became a symbol of pride for African Americans. The 1937 fight between Joe Louis and James Braddock began an unprecedented winning streak by Louis that included a 12-year run as champion, defeating 25 challengers. Help us transcribe this ticket for the 1937 fight between Louis and Braddock for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
Browse projects by National Museum of African American History and Culture
100% Complete
4 Total pages
6 Contributing members
To Bobbie from Blanche, November 14, 1944
Over one hundred personal letters describe the experiences of the Fractious Family of Washington, D.C. The family descends from William and Lucy Fractious, who came to the District of Columbia during the Civil War and acquired land in the Barry Farm development, where the Freedmen’s Bureau sold lots to formerly enslaved men and women. The correspondence was written primarily by Blanche Queen to her future husband, Robert Fractious, during World War II. It describes their romance, Robert’s time overseas as part of the war effort, everyday life in Washington, D.C., and personal reactions to political events. Help us discover more about the experiences, thoughts and feelings of this African American family by transcribing these letters.
100% Complete
2 Total pages
3 Contributing members
To Editor of Ebony Magazine from Charles E. Qualls, June 11, 1955
Did you know Frederick Douglass’ chosen birthday of February 14th was once celebrated as a school holiday in Washington, D.C., known as Douglass Day? Students learned about the life of Douglass, heard his speeches and excerpts from his publications, and listened to poems dedicated to the remarkable statesman. The celebration rapidly spread to other parts of the country and to institutions beyond schools. African American churches and women’s social clubs also sponsored Douglass Day events, where social issues were discussed, along with the preservation of Douglass’ home, Cedar Hill, in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C. This year, you can help us celebrate Frederick Douglass and uncover historic efforts to preserve the Frederick Douglass Home by transcribing the correspondence of the Coordination Committee of Anacostia and Vicinity, now preserved in the Anacostia Community Museum’s Dale-Patterson Family Collection.
100% Complete
6 Total pages
10 Contributing members
Transcript of a speech given by Michelle Obama on September 4, 2012
Jim Vance (1942-2017) was an American television news reporter in Washington, D.C. One of the first African American co-anchors of a major market newscast, Vance was the region's longest-serving television news anchor with more than 45 years at WRC-TV. He earned 19 Emmy awards, including the Emmy for Outstanding News Anchor in five different years. In 2007, Vance was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame. Over his storied career Jim Vance covered major events including the 2012 Presidential Election. In September of 2012 Vance led coverage of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) for WRC-TV. This copy of a speech given by Michelle Obama was owned by Jim Vance. Help us transcribe the speech and learn what the former first lady said to the attendees of the DNC.
Browse projects by National Museum of African American History and Culture
100% Complete
15 Total pages
65 Contributing members
Travel guide published by the Afro-American
A travel guide published by the Afro-American Newspaper, Baltimore. This guide provided African Americans with information on hotels and guest houses where they could stay during the Jim Crow era. The guide including listings in Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Browse projects by National Museum of African American History and Culture
100% Complete
101 Total pages
24 Contributing members
Travelog of 1962-1963 South American trip
Doris Cochran was a herpetologist who collected over 3,000 frog specimens from Brazil in her career! Help us detail her South American discoveries (1962-1963) by transcribing pages of her travelog.
100% Complete
103 Total pages
22 Contributing members
U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842: Original notebooks of the botanist, Vol. 1-4
In 1836, the United States Congress finally authorized a Survey and Exploring Expedition to the Pacific Ocean and the South Seas. The previous American President, John Quincy Adams, had put the matter before Congress almost ten years earlier. Once authorization was received, the final preparations proceeded quickly. A group of scientists were recruited including a young nurseryman from Scotland. William Dunlop Brackenridge (1810-1893) had been in the United States only two years before the expedition set sail for the Pacific Ocean in 1838. These are his first four "original notebooks" as he called them. Join other volunteers to transcribe them and so make this handwritten record more accessible for today's researchers.
