October 2016
Page 1
T H E N A T I O N A L A R C H I V E S A T K A N S A S C I T Y
VIRTUAL GENEALOGY
FAIR
2
BARRIERS TO THE
BALLOT
3
AUTHOR DR. LARRY
BLOMSTEDT
3
HIDDEN TREASURES
FROM THE STACKS
4-6
8
Inside This Issue
Upcoming Events
Unless noted, all events
are held at the
National Archives
400 West Pershing
Road Kansas City, MO
64108
OCTOBER 3 - 6:30 P.M.
FILM AND DISCUSSION:
WILLIE VALASQUESZ:
YOUR VOTE IS YOUR
VOICE
OCTOBER 11- 6:30 P.M.
FILM AND DISCUSSION:
BARRIERS TO THE BALLOT
OCTOBER 26 AND 27 -
ALL DAY: VIRTUAL
GENEALOGY FAIR
OCTOBER 27- 6:30 P.M.
AUTHOR LECTURE:
TRUMAN, CONGRESS,
AND KOREA: THE
POLITICS OF AMERICA’S
FIRST UNDECLARED WAR
BY DR. LARRY BLOMSTEDT
Are you connected to the National Archives at Kansas City?
Due to the increased costs of printing and postage the National Archives will
rarely send information through U.S. postal mail. We encourage our patrons to
use electronic mail and social media to connect with us. Our Facebook address is
www.facebook.com/nationalarchiveskansascity. In addition, you can tweet us via
Twitter @KCArchives or #KCArchives.
All information about upcoming events and programs is emailed to patrons
through our electronic mailing list. If we do not have your eddress on file, please
send an email with your preferred eddress to kansasc[email protected] or
call 816-268-8000.
Film Debut and Panel Discussion of
Willie Velásquez: Your Vote is Your Voice
On Monday, October 3, at 6:30 p.m., the National Archives in partnership with Kansas City
Public Television, will debut a new documentary Willie Velásquez: Your Vote is Your Voice. A
free light reception will precede the lecture at 6:00 p.m.
Throughout American
history, Latinos were
often kept from the
ballot box through
the use of poll taxes,
gerrymandering, and
outright intimidation.
With his rallying cry
of “su voto es su
voz,” (your vote is
your voice), Willie
Velásquez started a
grassroots movement
in the 1970s that
resulted in the
registration of millions
of Latino voters and paved the way for the growing power of the Latino vote. Willie
Velásquez: Your Voice is Your Vote chronicles Willie’s journey from radical student activist to
respected statesman, and examines the history of the Latino vote as well as contemporary
issues facing Latinos today, including the 2016 presidential election. This program is
presented in partnership with Kansas City Public Television; Latino Public Broadcasting;
Hispanic Coalition/Chamber of Commerce; Kansas City Hispanic Business Political Action
Committee; and the Young Latino Professionals.
Reservations are requested for this free film by calling 816-268-8010 or emailing
[email protected]. Requests for ADA accommodations must be submitted five
business days prior to events.
National Archives to Offer Virtual Genealogy Fair
On October 26 and 27, 2016 (Wednesday & Thursday), the National Archives is hosting a two-day, virtual
Genealogy Fair via webcast. Viewers have the opportunity to participate with the presenters and other family
historians during the live event on YouTube. All of the session videos and handouts will be available from this web
page free of charge. You can watch the sessions and download the materials at your convenience. Registration is not
required. Frequent updates will be posted to this page.
October 26 Session Schedule - Day 1
(Note: the times listed below are Eastern Time)
Time Activity
10:00 a.m. - Welcoming Remarks by Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero
10:05 a.m. - Introduction to Genealogy at the
National Archives by Claire Kluskens
11:00 a.m. - The Best National Archives Records
Genealogists Aren't Using by Lori Cox-Paul
12:00 p.m. - National Archives Innovative Online
Resources and Tools to Help with Your
Genealogical Research by Sarah Swanson and
Kelly Osborn
1:00 p.m. - You too can be a Citizen Archivist!
Getting the most out of the National Archives
Catalog by Suzanne Isaacs and Meredith Doviak
2:00 p.m. - Department of State Records for
Genealogical Research by David Pfeiffer
3:00 p.m. - American Battle Monuments
Commission by Ryan Bass
October 27 Session Schedule - Day 2
(Note: the times listed below are Eastern Time)
10:00 a.m. - Nonpopulation Census: Agriculture,
Manufacturing, and Social Statistics by Claire
Kluskens
11:00 a.m. - The Morning After: Changes as
Reflected in Morning Reports by Theresa
Fitzgerald
12:00 p.m. - The Iwo Jima Flag Raisers: Chaos,
Controversy and World War II Marine Corps
Personnel Records by Bryan K. McGraw
1:00 p.m. - What’s New in the Lou: A Look at the
Latest Accessions at the National Archives at St. Louis by David Hardin
2:00 p.m. - The Faces of the National Park Service by Cara L. Moore
3.00 p.m. - Closing Remarks by Acting Executive for Research Services Ann Cummings
Page 2
Dr. Larry Blomstedt to Discuss Truman, Congress, and Korea:
The Politics of America’s First Undeclared War
On Thursday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m., the National Archives will host Dr. Larry Blomstedt for a discussion of his book
Truman, Congress, and Korea: The Politics of America’s First Undeclared War. A free light reception will precede the
lecture at 6:00 p.m.
Three days after North Korean premier Kim Il Sung launched a massive
military invasion of South Korea on June 24, 1950, President Harry S. Truman
responded, dispatching air and naval support to South Korea. Initially,
Congress cheered his swift action; but, when China entered the war to aid
North Korea, the president and many legislators became concerned that the
conflict would escalate into another world war, and the United States agreed
to a truce in 1953. The lack of a decisive victory caused the Korean War to
quickly recede from public attention. In Truman, Congress, and Korea,
Blomstedt provides the first in-depth domestic political history of the conflict,
from the initial military mobilization, to Congress's failed attempts to broker a
cease-fire, to the political fallout in the 1952 election. During the war,
President Truman faced challenges from both Democratic and Republican
legislators, whose initial support quickly collapsed into bitter and often public
infighting. Blomstedt explores the changes wrought during this critical period
and the ways in which the war influenced U.S. international relations and
military interventions during the Cold War and beyond. This program is
presented in partnership with the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and
Museum and the Truman Center at the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
Copies of Blomstedt’s book will be available for purchase and signing.
Reservations are requested for this free program by calling 816-268-8010
or emailing [email protected]. Requests for ADA accommodations
must be submitted five business days prior to events.
Page 3
Barriers to the Ballot Film Screening and Panel Discussion
On Tuesday, October 11, at 6:30 p.m., the National Archives will host a film screening of The Black Belt and panel
discussion titled, Barriers to the Ballot. A free light reception will precede the lecture at 6:00 p.m.
Directed by Margaret Brown, The Black Belt is a new
documentary film short that illustrates the challenges
residents face in one state around obtaining identification.
In 2015, Alabama closed 31 Department of Motor Vehicle
(DMV) locations in counties with predominately black
residents due to budget cuts, forcing residents to obtain
voter ID cards by going to mobile DMV units. The film
focuses on the mobile units, which are farcical at best, and
how residents cope with finding a viable alternative for
obtaining identification.
Following the film, a group of local activists and scholars
will discuss the ongoing challenges around current attempts
to change voter identification laws. Moderated by Dr. Delia
Gillis of the University of Central Missouri, panelists include Dolores Furtado, League of Women Voters; Anita Russell,
NAACP-KC chapter; and Quinton Lucas, University of Kansas. This program is presented in partnership with the
American Association of University Women-KC Branch; League of Women Voters; and the Greater Kansas City Black
History Study Group.
Reservations are requested for this free program by calling 816-268-8010 or emailing [email protected].
Requests for ADA accommodations must be submitted five business days prior to events.
Hidden Treasures from the Stacks
The Mercury Space Capsule Patent
During a speech in the spring of 1957, James S. McDonnell was asked to speculate on the future of manned space
flight. Few were as qualified as McDonnell to do so. He had an advanced degree in Aeronautical Engineering from
MIT. He was an aviation pioneer
and as founder of the McDonnell
Aircraft Corporation (later
McDonnell Douglas), a titan of the
aviation industry. He believed the
timetable for putting a man in
space would result in a successful
launch sometime between 1990
and 2005 and would cost around
$1 billion ($116.4 billion today).
To McDonnell, the technological
advances necessary for manned
flight were legion.
Five months later, the Soviet
Union launched Sputnik I into
space and everything changed.
Manned space flight was not four
or five decades away. It was four
years away.
The race to be the first nation to
put a human in space was on.
Driven by the desire to beat the
Soviet Union there, Project
Mercury was born. It was
approved on October 7, 1958,
and announced to the public in
December of that year.
The Space Race was fueled by
the Cold War. The nuclear arms
race led to great advances in
rocket technology designed to be
used in ballistic missiles. The same
technology was capable of
putting a human into space by
using rocket powered boosters.
In 1958, 35 engineers were
assembled, led by Maxime Faget
to design what would become the
Mercury spacecraft.
On November 4, 1959, the
group filed with the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office a patent
of the capsule they had
designed.
(Continued on next page.)
Page 4
Above: Patent drawing for the Mercury capsule submitted in 1959. Record Group 241,
Records of the Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce, Patent Case
Files 1836-1993. Patent number 3,093,346, Patent name: Space Capsule, National
Archives Identifier 302050.
Page 5
(Continued from page 4.)
The patent for the Mercury
Space Capsule shows the
specifications for the capsule
and a diagram for the stages
needed to reach space and
return safely to earth. The
capsule was meant for short
term flight only. It carried
enough food, water, and
oxygen for only one day.
The patent describes the craft
as “an initial step in
determining man’s ability to
adapt to and perform during
space travel. A study of the
effects of a space environment
upon a human occupant of a
capsule placed into a semi-
permanent orbit about the
Earth has been proposed.”
In addition, “A further object…
is to provide a space vehicle
which provides protection for
its occupant from the
deleterious effects of large
pressure differentials, high
temperatures, micrometeorite
collisions, high level acoustical
noise, and severe inertial and
impact loads.”
The original design of the
capsule did not include
windows, opting instead for
small portholes. The astronauts
voiced their displeasure with
this, stating that a window was
needed, “not only for the view,
but also for orientation.”
Another design facet the
astronauts fought for and won
was manual control. Originally,
the capsule was designed to
be controlled only from the
ground at the Manned Flight
Space Network. The original
plan had prompted Chuck
Yeager to say the Mercury
astronauts were nothing more
than “Spam in a can.”
(Continued on next page.)
Above: Detailed aspects of the Mercury Capsule patent. Record Group 241, Records of the
Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce, Patent Case Files 1836-1993.
Patent number 3,093,346, Patent name: Space Capsule, National Archives Identifier
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Federal holidays. Hours are subject to change due to special programs and weather. The National
Archives is located at 400 West Pershing Road, Kansas City, Missouri, 64108.
The National Archives at Kansas City is home to historical records dating from the 1820s to the
1990s created or received by Federal agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,
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Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalarchiveskansascity. Tweet us @KCArchives or
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Amending America and the National Conversations Series Continues in October
In celebration of the 225th anniversary of the Bill of Rights in 2016, the National Archives presents a national
initiative: Amending America. Written in 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791, the original Bill of Rights, on
permanent display in the National Archives Rotunda in Washington D.C., is still closely connected to the biggest issues
of today - and to each of our citizens. Through a series of exhibitions, programs, online resources, and more, Amending
America explores how we continue to perfect our union through the
lens of our historic records. In celebration of this 225th anniversary,
the National Archives is hosting a series of conversations across the
country to explore the continuing and often complicated issues of
rights of our modern era.
This series continues Friday, October 21, at the National Archives at
New York in downtown (Manhattan) New York City, with a focus on
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. A series of panelists will discuss
women’s rights, gender equality and advocacy, and action. The
morning keynote conversation Soledad O’Brien and Anna Eleanor
Roosevelt will explore the current state of women’s rights and
gender equality in the United States. The public is invited to attend
this free program in-person or via live streaming through the web.
For more information about the New York City event, visit
www.archives.gov/nyc/press/2016/2016-conversation-on-
women.html.
Page 6
(Continued from page 5.)
The decision to allow manual control proved to be a critical one. During Astronaut Gordon Cooper’s flight in 1963,
manual control was needed to return him safely to Earth.
Once the Mercury spacecraft was designed, the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation won the bid to build 20 of them. Six
were used in manned flight, nine were used in unmanned flights, and five never flew. James McDonnell may not have
seen the Space Race coming, but his company played a critical role in facilitating it.
The first manned flight took place in May 1961 with Alan Shepard on board. The sixth and final one in May 1963 with
Gordon Cooper.
The space capsule patent captures a moment in history full of energy, innovation and achievement. A time when things
that are now accepted as fact were merely ideas and theories. It proved that human beings could travel into space,
survive there and return to Earth safely. For more information about Patent and Trademark records email
