UNITED STATES NEWS

Jill Biden calls swearing in of the 1st woman national archivist ‘momentous’

Sep 11, 2023, 3:23 PM

Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan speaks after first lady Jill Biden at her swearing-In...

Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan speaks after first lady Jill Biden at her swearing-In ceremony at the National Archives Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — First Lady Jill Biden saluted Colleen Shogan, the first woman to be sworn in as national archivist, saying on Monday that democracy’s power is “made real with access to history, unfiltered and uncensored.”

Shogan, a former government and politics professor at George Mason University, heads the National Archives and Records Administration, which maintains billions of documents — including the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Louisiana Purchase, Harriet Tubman’s Civil War pension claims and Thomas Edison’s patent for the lightbulb.

During a formal swearing-in ceremony, Biden noted that the nation’s historic documents were once held by George Washington and later by the State Department, before being entrusted to the National Archives, founded by Congress in 1934.

“The history of a democracy belongs to its people, and we must preserve it with care for future generations,” the first lady said. “As far back as the Constitutional Convention, our leaders recognized the power of our founding documents and the importance of keeping them safe and accessible.”

President Joe Biden has made preserving democracy a centerpiece of his reelection campaign, pledging to thwart former President Donald Trump ‘s Make American Great Again movement which he says are attempting to undermine it.

The National Archives, meanwhile, has been thrust into the national political spotlight in unusual ways lately.

Just days after the president nominated Shogan to be archivist of the United States in August 2022, the FBI raided Trump’s home and seized thousands of pages of documents amid investigations into whether he took classified records from the White House.

“This experiment in democracy hinged on the people, and their ability to claim their rights and hold their elected officials accountable,” Jill Biden said Monday. “That power could only be made real with access to history, unfiltered and uncensored.”

Shogan was confirmed by the Senate in May and succeeds Debra Wall, who served as acting U.S. archivist. The first lady said that the contents of the Nation Archives “are all of our stories – men and women, of all backgrounds, ages, and creeds, what we choose to preserve, and whose voices we deem worthy of placing in our national memory.”

“That’s why this milestone – the first woman head of the National Archives and Records Administration – is so momentous,” she added.

Shogan said she tried to make a point of visiting the Declaration of Independence each day she comes to work, and that she wore white during Monday’s ceremony to honor the legacy of women’s suffragists.

She said that “these documents aren’t just pieces of parchment. They are living promises to hold our government accountable.”

“What prevents us from falling back into the classic pattern of authoritarianism is our right — indeed our responsibility — to hold our government accountable,” Shogan said. “That’s what makes the National Archives so important. Without the National Archives, and the continued fulfillment of its mission, a healthy democracy cannot be sustained.”

United States News

Associated Press

Lawyer picked to prosecute Army sexual assault is fired over an old email doubting victims’ claims

WASHINGTON (AP) — The lawyer selected to be the Army’s first top prosecutor of sexual assaults under an overhaul of the military justice system has been fired because of an email he sent 10 years ago appearing to belittle victims’ assault allegations. Brig. Gen. Warren Wells was removed from the job on Friday by Army […]

17 minutes ago

Associated Press

DeSantis wants to cut 1,000 jobs, but asks for $1 million to sue over Florida State’s football snub

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis recommended Florida eliminate more than 1,000 state jobs in a spending proposal released Tuesday that cuts the current budget by more $4.6 billion while maintaining popular sales tax holidays. DeSantis is calling for a $114.4 billion budget. Unlike most years, the presidential candidate announced his budget far […]

1 hour ago

FILE - Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor poses for a photo in 1982. O'Connor who ...

Associated Press

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Dec. 18

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Dec. 18, with a funeral service at the National Cathedral the following day, the court said Monday. The first woman on the Supreme Court, O’Connor died Friday at age 93 in Phoenix. She stepped down from the court […]

2 hours ago

FILE - Republican presidential candidates from left, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former ...

Associated Press

How to watch the fourth Republican presidential debate and what to look for

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The number of candidates on stage is shrinking, but the fundamentals of Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate may be familiar to anyone who has watched the previous three meetings. No one has yet emerged as the clear Republican alternative to former President Donald Trump, whose lead is so big that he has […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

US makes offer to bring home jailed Americans Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. Russia rejected it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has made a new and significant offer aimed at securing the release of American detainees Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, but Russia has rejected the offer, the State Department said Tuesday. Spokesman Matthew Miller did not reveal the details of the offer nor why Russia had turned it down, […]

3 hours ago

Actor Jonathan Majors arrives at court for his domestic assault trial, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, in Ne...

Associated Press

Jonathan Majors’ accuser said actor’s “violent temper” left her fearful before alleged assault

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Majors’ former girlfriend told a Manhattan jury that the actor was prone to fits of rage that escalated in the months leading up to his arrest for allegedly attacking her in the backseat of a car last spring. During hours of tearful testimony on Tuesday, Grace Jabbari described Majors as […]

4 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

(KTAR News Graphic)...

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University: innovating Arizona health care education

Midwestern University’s Glendale Campus near Loop 101 and 59th Avenue is an established leader in health care education and one of Arizona’s largest and most valuable health care resources.

Jill Biden calls swearing in of the 1st woman national archivist ‘momentous’