The articles and images in the June 1964 edition of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Newsletter detail the events in St. Augustine that were instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The stirring...

Read the speech given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 17, 1937, honoring the Constitution and applying the tenets of the Constitution to contemporary issues in the 1930s.

Here is the transcript of the news conference President Harry S. Truman had on May 8, 1945, just before the release of his proclamation declaring the end of hostilities in Europe. Read why he released this early to journalists, and enjoy...

Read the text of Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chat on March 12, 1933, just days after he was inaugurated for first term, in which he explained the reasoning behind his declaration of a bank holiday.

This is the text, audio, and video [13:21] of President Ronald Reagan's speech on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 1984, in Pointe Du Hoc, Normandy, France.

What do national holidays represent and how do they come to be? Using Martin Luther King Day as an example, follow how congress establishes the holiday and the president signs it into law. Primary sources included are memos to President...

Provides the text and audio of President Barrack Obama's press conference delivered on his 100th day in office.

The official text of President Obama's 'back to school' speech from 2009. It was released to the public one day prior to being shared with the nation's students.

The inaugural address of James A. Garfield and a brief description of the inaugural day.

A collection of archival video clips highlighting a peaceful protest in Alabama in 1965 that ended in a confrontation with state troopers known as "Bloody Sunday." This was followed by a four-day march with Martin Luther King, Jr., and a...

This site contains the text of the papers that Germany signed to accept defeat, ending World War II in Europe. It also includes the text of President Harry S. Truman's proclamation of the end of the war in Europe.

President Roosevelt and his administration accomplished a lot during his first one hundred days in office. One piece of legislation was the Securities Act of 1933. Read the text of the entire act on this site. [pdf]

Photographic archive of Harry S. Truman. Collection includes photos from early life to post-presidential days and more!

This is a speech given by President Eisenhower during the last days of his administration. In it, he cautions against the growing power and influence of the American military-industrial complex. A great primary source that still contains...

A part of the Yale Avalon Project, this page provides the message from President Johnson to Congress the day after the incident and the joint resolution of Congress on August 7, 1964.

See the first page of the Social Security Act from the National Archives date stamped August 12, 1935. FDR signed the act into law two days later.

Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...

Samuel Alito's remarks after being nominated by President George W. Bush as the replacement for Sandra Day O'Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court.

This is the text, audio, and video [3:08] of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's declaration of war against the Japanese the day after their attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.