What makes America... America?

Hello, I’m David Allison, Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs. Here at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, we believe that historical perspective is the key to understanding the many peoples, cultures, traditions, and events that have made our society increasingly pluralistic, but still unified as one nation. And we are committed to making our many exhibitions, programs, and online offerings not only engaging but also relevant.

To succeed, we need your help! We are currently rethinking our strategic plan for the future and charting our course over the next five years. So this month, we’re asking ourselves, our blog readers, our social media followers, our e-newsletter subscribers, and our visitors on the museum floor to respond to the two questions below.

Please respond to these questions in this short poll. 

1. When you think about America, what three objects or images come to mind?
2. What inspires you about America and helps define its essential character?

You can also tweet us or post your answer on our Facebook page.

What will we do with your answers? We’ll take them into deep consideration as we build our plan for the future. We’ll also write another blog post sharing what we heard from you. We’ll point out major trends that emerge and explain how they inspire us to think more deeply about who we are and where we’re going.

Comments

[Kimble]

If this poll influences your strategic plan going forward, I can't wait to see all the responses. Great post!

[James Roguski]

Please respond to these questions in this short poll.

When you think about America, what three objects or images come to mind?

Honestly, the first three things were...
1) The American Flag
2) The Statue of Liberty
3) Mount Rushmore

What inspires you about America and helps define its essential character?

I believe that America's essential character is drive. The country was founded and continues to grow because people from all ove the world, who are unfulfilled, come to America to achieve more.