In June 2011, through a unique collaboration with the National Archives in Washington, D.C., The Henry Ford had the privilege of displaying the actual Emancipation Proclamation for 36 hours. The response from the community was overwhelming - and inspiring. Watch what happened when thousands of pe...

During World War II, American women made enormous contributions to the war effort. Yet, much of their "fighting" took place not on the battlefront, but on the home front. Their home front activities offered challenges and opportunities never available before to women -- even everyday tasks took o...

Through the lens of historic photographs, we learn a story of African American history. Today, African Americans in United States agriculture are virtually non-existent, and in a world of mechanized industrial farming, it is easy to forget the hands-on physical labor required in the past. The ric...

Pins strewn about her sewing table. Snowflakes under a microscope. A stack of firewood. Pioneering textile artist Ruth Adler Schnee took inspiration from the world around her, both the fantastic and the mundane. She created strikingly modern abstract and often organic forms.

Known for her organi...

Freedmen’s Bureau officials encouraged people to deposit their savings in the private Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company. Account holders believed their monies were safe, but the deposits were not guaranteed. Changed lending policies in 1870, the economic panic of 1873, and mismanagement put in...

Join The Henry Ford to learn about 4th of July celebrations as America celebrated it's centennial.

The life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are often hidden behind the continual replaying of a few lines from his “I Have a Dream” speech. In fact, Dr. King’s real story — from unknown Baptist minister to American civil rights leader and international human rights spokesperson — ...

In 1967, Esau and Janie B. Jenkins purchased the 1966 Volkswagen Deluxe Station Wagon currently on display in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, but their civil rights activism efforts began decades earlier.

Learn more about the Jenkins’ commitment to bettering the lives of residents i...

Esau and Janie Jenkins dedicated themselves to improving the lives of Black residents on Johns Island, South Carolina. Esau Jenkins purchased this Volkswagen van around 1967, and the couple used it in much of their work. The van's rugged character is a tribute to the selfless service of Esau and ...

Jawana Jackson gives a tour of her parents’ home, which once served as a safe haven where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights leaders worked, strategized and planned the Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1965.

Miniature Moments: A Journey Through Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments is The Henry Ford’s newest permanent exhibit. With nearly 7,000 Hallmark ornaments on display, let’s hear from the staff at The Henry Ford about what it truly took to make this all come to life. Then, we invite you to relive holiday...

Christo Brand is a South African author and former guard at Robben Island Prison. Beginning his tenure there in 1978 at age 19, Brand was responsible for guarding Nelson Mandela during his lifetime sentence. In 1982, Brand was transferred along with Mandela to Pollsmoor Prison, where the pair dev...

Already known for its greeting cards, Hallmark introduced a line of Christmas ornaments in 1973. The company's annual release of an increasing array of ornaments revolutionized Christmas decorating, appealing to customers' interest in reliving memories, remembering special people and events, and ...

The Henry Ford's Curator of Agriculture and the Environment shares how three historical figures (Frederick Douglass, George Washington Carver, and Rachel Carson) used persuasion to help further their causes to create a better future.

Donna Braden, curator, shares the history of the Logan County Courthouse, symbolic in the expansion and tightening of voting rights in America’s Northwest Territory.

The Henry Ford’s Curator of Decorative Arts shares the history of campaign materials and artifacts, including innovations in techniques used to sway voters.

The Henry Ford’s Curator of Decorative Arts shares the history of voting machines and how innovations in technology have helped, but not always succeeded, in making elections more fair, honest, and accurate.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act made it illegal to discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. In this video, curators Amber N. Mitchell and Heather Bruegl (Oneida/Stockbridge-Munsee) discuss the origins of this landmark piece of legislation, the changes it prompted, and the le...

The Dr. Sullivan Jackson and Mrs. Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson House holds powerful stories of an ordinary family doing extraordinary things in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. In line with the wishes of the Jacksons’ daughter Jawana, the Jackson House has been relocated from Selma, Alabama...