Happy Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July! 



Enjoy your independence and celebrate with family and friends. (Excellent example of an imperative sentence, BTW.) 

Thought I would do my share for the digital environment and reuse a previously published post that celebrates our great nation. 

Check out The National Archives - Worth the Trip to D.C. Its claim to fame is the place in D.C. where the Constitution and Declaration of Independence make their home. There are so many other wonderful (and not so wonderful) records and documents of our country's history there, too. 

Please remember that this weekend isn't a blast for all of us. The Fourth of July can be particularly unpleasant for animals. Here's a piece on Fourth of July safety for dogs from my colleague Joan Hunter Mayer, dog trainer extraordinaire of Inquisitive Canine. Read it here. 

Shadow was frightened by fireworks, thunder and other ka-booms. 

The National Archives -- Worth the Trip to D.C.

Day 15 / 30-Day Writing Challenge

Tools of the Trade

I'm the sort of person who remembers the state capitals from fifth gradegeography. Or the plot and details to a leisure book read during sixth grade quiet time. Things planted in my elementary school brain really took root. Like a redwood. 

Too bad I didn't learn about the National Archives. 

Technically known as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the organization is an agency of the federal government with the responsibility of preserving and documenting governmental and historical records in addition to increasing public access to those documents. According to wikipedia, that is. 

NARA is a fabulous research tool. And much more authoritative than the aforementioned wikipedia. Fact checking a story? Good chance the National Archives can help. Want to make sure the quote from the Gettysburg Address is correct? National Archives can tell you. 

Yes, it's the place in Washington D.C. where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are on display. 

So are other moments in our history. Like Rosa Parks arrest record.

You don't have to go to D.C., though, to research. You can start online at National Archives. It's so easy and enjoyable to get lost in the archives. Check it out.