#archivesjuly4

Celebrate Independence Day With Us!

Join us on #July4th in person at the National Archives for our annual celebration of Independence Day!

The National Archives celebrates the 243rd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with special events in Washington, DC, and at many of our Presidential Libraries nationwide:  

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, West Branch, IA The library will hold a reading of the Declaration of Independence, along with a free concert by the Eastern Iowa Brass Band at 2 p.m. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS Watch the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the Visitors Center Auditorium at 10 a.m. The first 100 attendees will receive a free fan!

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will offer free admission to all members of the active military. Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, Austin, TX The museum willl be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with free museum admission for all on July 4.

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA Witness history with Revolutionary War encampments and battle skirmishes.  Talk with historical reenactors including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Betsy Ross, General Charles Cornwallis, and Benjamin Franklin. Special patriotic performance by the Placentia Symphonic Band.  

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, MI See the broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the theater.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA Participate in family-fun activities, including patriotic concerts, entertainment, games, crafts, and more. All outdoor activities are free; regular admission rates for the Presidential  Museum, Air Force One Pavilion, and our blockbuster special exhibit, "The World of da Vinci."

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX The library will show a live broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony at 10 a.m. 

The National Archives in Washington, DC, celebrates our country’s founding with a Fourth of July program for people of all ages! Enjoy a performance by The Experience Band & Show, huzzah and boo during in a dramatic Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony, and participate in family activities inside the National Archives Museum.

We’ll be live streaming the event through both YouTube and Facebook. Or celebrate at one of our Presidential libraries around the nation!

Check out some highlights from last year’s event below, and share your July 4 fun on social media using #ArchivesJuly4. See the full schedule here.

No American cookout would be complete without ketchup. Millions of Americans douse their french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, and other cookout favorites with the condiment every day. The tomato-based sauce is even a staple for military personnel and astronauts!

Catsup, now more commonly known as “ketchup,” was a British term designated for any “spiced” sauce. The British had access to a myriad of spices from their exploits across the world. Their ketchup was made of oysters, cloves, cayenne, cherries, walnuts, vinegars, mace, and more.

Americans were the first to create ketchup with tomatoes, a crop native to North America, and an 1896 issue of The New York Tribune even declared tomato ketchup to be America’s national condiment found “on every table in the land.” The most famous tomato ketchup is the Heinz 57 variety. Apparently, founder Henry Heinz purposely created his own spelling of “ketchup” to differentiate from his “catsup”-peddling competitors.

Early tomato ketchup was made from fermented skins and cores. But these fermenting tomato leftovers could explode and burst their containers! The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, finally made this dangerous condiment safe to consume–and keep in the cupboard.