Accepting Smithson's Gift

Should We Accept Smithson's Bequest? 1835-1838
• Smithson's Bequest Sparks Political Debates
• "Beneath Our Dignity"
• "The Bequest. . .Faithfully Carried into Effect"
Pursuing the Smithson Bequest
• Richard Rush, Diplomat Extraordinaire

All-American Compromise

Laying the Foundations: Early Schools of Thought
If Not a National University…? Debates, 1838-1846
• A National Museum
• A National Scientific Institute
• A National Observatory
• A National Library
• A National University, After All?
The Smithsonian Is Created! August 10, 1846
• Surviving the Legislative Process
• Smithsonian Bill Becomes an Act

The Smithsonian Building

A Building Worthy of Smithson's Gift
• Architectural Building Blocks
• Who Sat in This Chair?
A Building Model Becomes a Model Building for American Colleges
The Smithsonian and the Public Imagination

An Institution Emerges

Joseph Henry, First Smithsonian Secretary, 1846-1878
The Henry Years
• Educating the People of Washington
• "To Stimulate the Talent of Our Country"
• "A Library Quite Unique"

A National Collection

Spencer Fullerton Baird Smithsonian Secretary, 1878-1887
• Baird, the Collector
• United States Exploring Expedition
  
• Exploring New Territories
  
• Building a National Museum
  

Smithson's Legacy

Smithson's Gift Endures
Smithsonian's 150th

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