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The only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African-American life, history and culture.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum established in December 2003. The museum's building, designed by David Adjaye, is on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. Early efforts to establish a federally owned museum featuring African American history and culture can be traced to 1915, although the modern push for such an organization did not begin until the 1970s. After years of little success, a much more serious legislative push began in 1988 that led to authorization of the museum in 2003. A site was selected in 2006. The museum opened September 24, 2016, in a ceremony led by U.S. President Barack Obama.
Location in Washington, D.C.
The NMAAHC is a public institution open to all, where anyone is welcome to participate, collaborate, and learn more about African American history and culture. In the words of Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the NMAAHC, “there are few things as powerful and as important as a people, as a nation that is steeped in its history.”
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama 44th President of the United States
The Collection
The Museum now owns close to 37,000 objects thanks to institutional support and the generosity of our many donors.
American South
American West
Civil Rights
Clothing and Dress
Communities
Education
Family
Literature | Military
Music
Photography
Politics
Religious Groups
Segregation
Slavery |
Public Downloads
All items are free to view, share, and download.
When available, we provide all our content with a Spanish version in our public download section. You can find additional material from sources listed in all our articles.
Download African American Museum Content
African American Artists Education and Equity Lesson Plans and Activities
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African American History and Culture
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African American Museums Grouped by State
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African American Pioneers in Aviation
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African Americans in the Military
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African and African American Artworks in Dialog from the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
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Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Building 1
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Building 2
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Building Model
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Map
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Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Map
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The National Memorial for Peace and Justice
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Download African American Activity Books
Black History Month Activity Book and Curriculum Ideas
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Black History Month Activity Book and Worksheets
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Black History Quiz Games Quotes Activity Book
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Black History Rosa Parks Activity Book
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Civil Rights Activity Book
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Famous Firsts Barack Obama Activity Book
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Download African American Activity Worksheets
Activities to Celebrate Garrett Morgan the Inventor of the Traffic Light
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Activities to Celebrate George Washington Carver Scientist and Inventor
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African American Freedom Fighters Word Search
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Barack Obama Challenge Vocabulary Worksheet
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Black History Crossword Puzzle
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Black History Fact Cards
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Black History Month Word Jumble
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Black History Month Word Puzzle
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Black History Month Word Search
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Black History Month Word Search 2
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Famous Firsts Alphabet Activity
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Famous Firsts Challenge
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Famous Firsts Crossword
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Famous Firsts Draw and Write Page
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Famous Firsts Vocabulary
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Famous Firsts Word Search
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Download African American Information and Resources
12 USA Presidents Owned Slaves
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A List Recommended Books By Charleston Syllabus To Understand Race And Racism In The United States
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African American Memory and History - Library of Congress
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African American Wikipedia
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Black Cabinet Wikipedia
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Black History Month Twenty-eight Ideas
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Celebrating Black Inventors
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Celebrating Black Inventors Image
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Inventions by African American Inventors
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Inventions by African American Inventors Image
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List of Black Academy Award Winners and Nominees
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List of Black Inventors and the Extraordinary Contributions Throughout History
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Mapping Courage Honoring WEB Du Bois by Willis Humphrey Wallpaper
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Negro American League history 101
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Slaves Built the White House History and Timelines
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Sub-Saharan Africa Wikipedia
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The origin of “African American” - Arts & Culture - Yale Alumni Magazine
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Timeline for Black History
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USA African American Anthem About Lift Every Voice and Sing
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USA African American Anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing
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USA African American Anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing Sheet Music Version
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USA African American Anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing Sheet Music Version Image
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Women and African American History 1492-1699
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Antebellum Records for African American Genealogy Reconstruction Era Handout from Family History Center Workshop
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Black History Learning Activity Guide
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Black History Month Resources
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CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY CULTURAL RESOURCES
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Elementary Black History Month Instructional Resource Guide
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Helping Your Child Learn History Guide
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History Activities and Worksheets
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Martin Luther King Jr Activities and Lesson Plans
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The Black History Discussion Guide and Related Videos and Activities
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Download African American Facts
African-American Comprehensive Websites
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Black Girls Matter - Columbia Law School New Stats Report
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Black History Census Facts for Features
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Black History in Canada Education Guide
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MOVE Black Liberation
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Report On The Barriers That Disadvantaged Youth Face and The Enormous Costs This Poses To The Economy
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The Black History of the White House
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The Poor Get Prison Report by Institute for Policy Studies and Criminalization of Poverty Project
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Download Africa Information and Resources
A Short History of Africa
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Emperor Mansa Musa I
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Video Playlist: National Museum of African American History and Culture
