Public History and Mike Wallace's Reflections

In the previous post about why I decided to study history in college, I talked about how everything is illuminated by the light of the past. I believe this notion speaks to many historians, but I believe this notion also speaks to non-historians. In at least some vague sense, we all know that everything is illuminated by the light of the past regardless of how closely we study history. The popularity of gossip shows testify to this as do, unsurprisingly, museums.

Museums are concentrated efforts to preserve and explore the past in a public setting. They also exist to educate and entertain others about the past. Mike Wallace in Mickey Mouse History explores the history of museums in America, and he elucidates how developments in public history reflect changes in American society. 

For instance, museums functioned as unifying cultural sites for the fledgling American government on the eve of the Civil War.

"It will be good for our citizens in these days when we hear the sound of disunion reiterated from every part of the country...to chasten their minds by reviewing the history of our revolutionary struggle." - Governor Hamilton Fish on the preservation of George Washington's revolutionary head quarters in 1850.

 Of course, these efforts proved ineffective seeing as the civil war broke out, but the museums/cultural shrines reflect the government's desire for strong unity among the states. Of course, the focus of the museums have changed over the years, and museums differ in their representations of history depending upon the roots of the museum. For instance, local efforts in New York City lead to the creation of museums focusing on Latino, Asian, and African history. This reflects how Americans are coming to understand themselves as not strictly American, but rather as Asian/African/Latino etc American. This also demonstrates how minority groups within America develop differently from the majority group. Furthermore, the rise of such minority-focused museums reflect how Americans are becoming more understanding of the complexities of American society. American history is not simply the history of presidents and generals, but also of common men, women, members of the LGBT+ community, and immigrant people.

Signs of progress!

Though there has been much progress in museums, museums often struggle to fully encompass the complexity of what they represent. For instance, in Colonial Williamsburg,  they "set the story of the black slaves alongside the story of the planters. What they were less willing to tackle were the relations between those classes" (23). A history of a colonial plantation exempting the relations between various groups fails to capture the complexity of the time, but representation of various groups does show progress from the original strict representation of only "great white men."

American public history does show great signs of progress that give me great hope, but I am confident in saying that American public history has a long way to go, as do all historians. So far, Wallace's book is proving to be a great, enlightening read, and I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on my thoughts.