Acts of Science: Connected
Voices of Freedom: Transcribing Post-Civil War Handwritten Records with the Smithsonian
Originally Aired
April 10, 2026
Topic
Citizen Science Month, America 250, Smithsonian, Transcription
Audience
Anyone and everyone!
Watch the Webinar
Description
Watch the recorded webinar to be guided on how to transcribe records from the Freedmen’s Bureau to get us closer to a completely digital database.
Hear from the project experts, ask questions, and discover how your participation supports important research AND counts towards a goal of 2.50 Million Acts of Science this April (Citizen Science Month!).
Speakers
Emily Cain
Digital Communications Manager for the Smithsonian Transcription Center
Kamilah Stinnett
Museum Specialist at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Doug Remley
Senior Editor/Publications Manager at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Link Bank
Agenda
Access all links and resources for the event below.
On April 10th, 2026, we participate in the Smithsonian Transcription Center’s Freedmen’s Bureau Records Project: a citizen science project that aims to digitize Freedmen’s Bureau records from the restoration period.
Set Up Instructions
- Create a free SciStarter account: SciStarter.org/login.
For participants under 13, adults can set up a family account or educators can create a set of class accounts. - Register for a Digital Volunteer Account with the Smithsonian: Transcription.si.edu/user/register
- Review Instructions and Resources at Transcription.si.edu/instructions-freedmens-bureau (Great to have open in another tab while you participate)
- Pick a project of interest within the Bureau Records at Transcription.si.edu/freedmensbureau
- Get started! You can choose to transcribe (type the exact contents of the original material) or review (compare completed transcriptions with original documents).
See these instructions in video format here.
Exploring the Project
Smithsonian Transcription Center (STC)
Transcribe handwritten documents and specimens to make historical data more accessible for research & discovery.
Anytime
Anywhere
Smithsonian, History, America
Speakers
Emily Cain
Digital Communications Manager for the Smithsonian Transcription Center
Kamilah Stinnett
Museum Specialist at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Doug Remley
Senior Editor/Publications Manager at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Acts of Science – Make it Count!
The SciStarter team will report the Acts of Science completed during the April 10th event. If you sign onto zoom with us at any point during this event, you will be included in our official attendance report too.
Continue participating and report all the classifications you complete in April to CitizenScienceMonth.org/report!
Let’s See the Impact
The results for “Voices of Freedom: Transcribing Post-Civil War Handwritten Records with the Smithsonian” will be here. Check back after the event to find out!
Keep participating–This project is available 24/7! Use our Take Home Flyer to start up again anytime.
Register for More Acts of Science: Connected
APR 16
Choose a session:
2 AM ET
6 PM ET
Zoom
Game Night for Science: Play Stall Catchers Online
Featured Project: Stall Catchers
Play an online game that speeds up Alzheimer’s research, with guidance from a Cornell project scientists.
APR 22
Choose a session:
11 AM ET
6 PM ET
Zoom
Earth Day Animal Spot-A-Thon
Featured Project: Snapshot Wisconsin
Identify animals in trail camera photos to aid wildlife conservation and connect with the project team from Snapshot Wisconsin online.
APR 29
Choose a session:
6 PM ET
9 PM ET
Zoom
Comets, Clues, and Our Cosmic Story
Featured Project: Rubin Comet Catchers
Scan NASA images to find comets and other space objects, uncovering clues about our solar system while interacting with the NASA project leader via Zoom.