https://www.projectpast.org/ Uncovering History, One Record at a Time en Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:15:31 GMT https://www.projectpast.org/crowdsourced-transcription-projects-democratizing-historical-archives/ https://www.projectpast.org/crowdsourced-transcription-projects-democratizing-historical-archives/ Across the country, volunteers armed with nothing more than a laptop and a curiosity for the past are transcribing millions of handwritten historical documents — from Civil War diaries to immigration manifests — and making them searchable for the very first time. Crowdsourced transcription initiatives led by institutions like the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian are reshaping who gets to participate in historical research. The results are accelerating discovery at a pace that traditional Project Past Digital History Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:15:31 GMT https://www.projectpast.org/presidential-private-correspondence-hidden-history-national-archives/ https://www.projectpast.org/presidential-private-correspondence-hidden-history-national-archives/ Declassified letters, journals, and personal notes held within the National Archives are quietly rewriting what we thought we knew about America's most consequential leaders. From Lincoln's candid doubts to FDR's unguarded diplomatic exchanges, the private record often tells a strikingly different story than the official one. Archival researchers are piecing together a more complete — and more human — portrait of presidential decision-making. Project Past Archival Research Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:15:31 GMT