National Museum of American History

On November 21, 2008, the Smithsonian Museum of American History (NMAH) reopens its doors, ending renovations updating the 42-year old building's infrastructure and creating exciting exhibit galleries and architectural elements.

The Museum blog enables fans to follow the processes of museum renovation and to learn about new and redesigned exhibit space where displays will hint at the breadth of the museum's more than 3 million objects.. People from behind-the-scenes of NMAH talk about their work from the construction of the Star Spangled Banner display to menus of newly-opening cafes and restaurants. Inside the Renovations provides photos and details about changes at NMAH.

In the meantime, the NMAH website remains a vital resource for educators, including materials in The Object of History. This web project developed with George Mason University's Center for History and New Media features artifacts from the Museum’s collections, related high school curriculum materials, and opportunities for students to participate in live online forums with Smithsonian curators. The materials on the site aim to improve students' content knowledge of standard topics in U.S. History and to improve their ability to understand material culture objects as types of historical evidence.