National Archives Experience: Digital Vaults

Visit the National Archives Digital Vaults for a unique and first-hand experience of primary documents from history. Click HERE to explore the contents of the vaults.

Begin by clicking on SEARCH to find information for a particular person or event. The search will reveal related images and documents with detailed information on each. Select one image to move to the center of the page and all other related documents will reorganize around that main photo. By hovering your mouse over the tags on the left of the screen, certain related images will be enhanced for your viewing. In the photo below, I did a "civil rights" search, moved the "Seat in Question" photo of Rosa Park's bus seat to the center, and hovered over the word "Women" on the left. You can see how some images are grayed out and you are left with the images that relate to Civil Rights, Rosa Parks, and Women.
Click on the PATHWAYS button to follow a series of clues that reveal relationships between photos, documents, and other related material or create your own pathway for your students to explore that you can Save or Email: Think Google Lit Trip but with documents and photos. Below is a Pathway on "Men and Monuments". By clicking on CREATE, you and your students can make interactive posters and videos using photos and documents from the National Archives Vaults to enhance your study of history.

Be sure to sign up for your FREE account to save all of your creations. This site provides a great way for you and your students to interact with history!