Teens and Adults.

The Freedmen’s Bureau was created after the Civil War to assist formerly enslaved people in the South during Reconstruction. Its records, including medical records, marriage licenses, letters, and more, contain hundreds of thousands of names in handwritten documents. Transcribing these records make them more accessible and is important for historical, genealogical, and cultural research and preservation. The Freedmen’s Bureau Transcription Project is the largest crowdsourced project ever undertaken at the Smithsonian! With your help, these records will become part of an online database available to everyone. Join this livestream demonstration of how to help transcribe documents. There will be time for hands-on practice OR just watch and learn from the Smithsonian Transcription Center and the SciStarter team.

SciStarter helps bring together millions of curious and concerned people in the world with thousands of opportunities to engage in real-world research questions in collaboration with primary investigators. SciStarter’s goal is to reach 2.5 million acts of science in the month of April. Your participation in this program will help them reach that goal!

This is part of our America 250! series. Participants will be entered into our America 250 raffle, as well as receive other giveaways and a chance for a prize for the most Acts of Science! Funding for this program is provided by an Acts of Science: Connected Event Support Grant from SciStarter.

Registration is required before 9:00 am ono April 9. Lack of registration cancels the program.