Black History Month: 9 Museums That Will Ship You a Piece of Our Past

Bruce Watson
Updated
US President Barack Obama sits on the famed Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. (Photo by Pete Souza/White House Photo via Getty Images)
US President Barack Obama sits on the famed Rosa Parks bus at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. (White House /Getty Images)

It's February, and America is celebrating its 37th federally-recognized Black History Month.

The observance originated back in the the 1920s as Negro History Week, set for the period that included the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It expanded into a month-long observance in 1970, and was nationally recognized by the government in 1976.

Some of America's top museums have special events planned to highlight the month, but for most of us, a February trip to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati or the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston isn't in the cards. However, if you're looking for a special gift or memento to honor this anniversary, you're in luck: Many of America's top civil rights museums will ship items from their gift shops right to your home.

Here are a few of the country's best:

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Bruce Watson is a senior features writer for DailyFinance. You can reach him by e-mail at bruce.watson@teamaol.com, or follow him on Twitter at @bruce1971.

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