Law Enforcement Records at the National Archives
Among the records held by the National Archives across the country, researchers can find information relating to federal law enforcement agencies and courts from the 1790s to the early 2000s. These records testify to the expanding scope of federal law enforcement activities over time and document the role of federal law enforcement agencies and the courts in major events in American history, including the Civil War and Reconstruction, Prohibition, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement.
As you begin your research, consider this question: how do the people, places, organizations, and events that interest me intersect with the federal government?
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