Experiencing America: A Smithsonian Tour through American History

Begin your tour of national treasures from the Smithsonian with the artifact that inspired our national anthem: the flag that flew over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key penned “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Hear about the battle for the fort and the later history of the flag, including how it was almost “loved to death.”

Learn how some of the country’s greatest leaders have seen themselves and been seen by the nation. Inspect Washington’s uniform, swords, and portraits. Also look at notable photographs of Lincoln, and trace the history of Eisenhower’s distinctive army jacket and his presidential “look.”

View Smithsonian artifacts that tell the story of the quest for religious freedom in America, from a rare religious portrait from the colonial Southwest, to a chunk of Plymouth Rock, to Thomas Jefferson’s unique compilation of the Gospels, to the symbolic sunstone on the original Mormon Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Starting with a set of slave shackles, chart the history of slavery in the Americas. Discover how the invention of the cotton gin helped expand slave labor. Then follow the story of African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman, as told through some of her treasured personal belongings.

Study relics and documents related to the emancipation of slaves during the Civil War era, culminating with General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Also hear poignant stories told by a selection of artifacts from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Hear the tale told by a tiny gold flake, smaller than a fingernail, which launched the California Gold Rush in the late 1840s. Encounter another artifact that had a profound impact on the West: the Colt revolver. And view the West through the eyes of both settlers and natives in the art of Albert Bierstadt and the sketches from Sitting Bull’s drawing book.