The Artifacts of the National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Smithsonian Institute began construction of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Feb. 22, 2012. The museum, which, according to the NMAAHC website, "will be a place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience, what it means to their lives and how it helped us shape this nation," is set to open in 2015.
This headgear, once worn by Muhammad Ali in the 1960s, is one of many famous items that will be on display in the NMAAHC when it opens.
Here are a few more famous artifacts that will be featured in the museum upon completion.
| Glass shards & shotgun shell from the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing |
This collection of glass shards and shotgun shell were gathered from the gutter outside the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Al., after a bombing in 1963 that killed three young girls.
| Nat Turner's Bible |
This Bible once belonged to Nat Turner, who famously led a slave rebellion in 1831in Virginia.
| Middle Passage Shackles |
These wrought iron ankle shackles were used to restrain slaves aboard ships crossing the Atlantic from Africa to the Americas.
| Rosa Park's Dress |
Rosa Parks was making this dress shortly before she was arrested for not giving up her seat on a segregated bus. The dress is part of the Black Fashion Museum Collection that was donated to the NMAAHC.
| Louis Armstrong's Trumpet |
This Selmer trumpet, once owned and played by legendary musician Louis Armstrong in the 1930s, will be featured by the NMAAHC, commemorating one of music's greatest icons.
| Harriet Tubman's Hymn Book |
The personal hymn book of legendary African-American abolitionist, Harriet Tubman, will be on display at the NMAAHC.
| The National Museum of African American History and Culture |
This model shows what the NMAAHC will look like upon completion, which is estimated to be in 2015. The Smithsonian Institute broke ground on Feb. 22, 2012 and on a lot that is adjacent to the Washington Monument on the National Mall.
Until the museum is completed, there is an African American History and Culture exhibit featured in the National Museum of American History
