O Say Can You See?

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.

Debating the candidates, family style

Federal government and politics have surrounded me for most of my life. I grew up in Washington, D.C., the hub of the nation for topics of national importance, where people tend to respond to the events in the national news. Even though I didn’t really start thinking about politics as a participant until I reached high school age, in the early 1970s, I have some vivid earlier memories of hearing conversations about politics at the dinner table.

The photograph of John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon is from the debate held in Chicago on September 26, 1960, at the CBS studio. This was the first Presidential debate in history and it was televised, attracting 60% of American households with televisions.

Sometimes these conversations were lively. At first they were especially so when friends or out of town family members joined us; later on, I was often the one who stirred things up when I started asking questions. My older brother generally sided with my parents in these conversations, while my two younger brothers were too young to get involved. I was the “bleeding heart liberal,” so named by my father, and was usually alone in the views I held. However, that never stopped me from opening my mouth.

One of the activities we always enjoyed in an election year was discussing the candidates. I think the televised presidential and vice presidential debates offered the easiest way to get informed and made for the most immediate family conversation, whether in person or over the phone. Yet for us as a family who thrived on point-counterpoint, for quite a period of time we had to rely on the regular news and TV spots for information. There were no televised debates after 1960 until 1976.

I was too young to recall the very first presidential debates in 1960, between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. My first strong memories of talking about issues of the candidates were in 1972 when I was a junior in high school. I was against the Vietnam War and supported George McGovern—even though I remember feeling sad for his first running mate for Vice President, Thomas Eagleton, with the disclosure of his past health history. In terms of family conversation, we actually had some accord this time on certain issues, if not party preference. My older brother, who was of draft age, had filed for conscientious objector status and lost. We were worried sick.

By 1976, at the age of 21, I was right there by the television, anxious to watch and listen to the debates between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. That was the first year I would be able to vote in a presidential election, so it was especially important to me to become as informed as possible. I felt important, too. I would finally begin to understand the feeling of being a citizen who could vote.

Today, I can’t wait to watch these debates; they are one of my favorite parts of any campaign cycle. They offer an opportunity to hear the candidates address the issues in their own words, however rehearsed they may be. I look forward to being able to “get into it” with friends and family even though, as far as the family is concerned, I’m still their bleeding heart liberal.

The Division of Political History is fortunate to have in the collections some objects associated with presidential debates. Below are just a few:

These two chairs were used by Kennedy and Nixon in the televised debates. They are the same chairs that you see in the above photograph.

This photograph of then Governor Jimmy Carter and President Gerald Ford was from the 1976 debates. These were the first presidential debates since 1960 and they were sponsored by the League of Women Voters. 1976 was the year of the Bicentennial and the sense of history was very much in the descriptions of the debates given by political commentators. About 53.5% of American households with televisions watched.

This photograph, taken from the 1996 exhibition We the People: Winning the Vote held at this museum, depicts the podiums and chairs used at the 1976 debates.

Debra Anne Hashim is an associate curator in the Division of Political History.

The "unscripted" field trip

In line in the cafeteria recently, I stood behind a young woman in her early teens here on a field trip. She had with her a paper scavenger hunt, but an unusual one—the first question explained the Smithsonian and the National Museum of American History's missions and then asked the student to evaluate how well the museum lived up to them. I've seen a lot of scavenger hunts in my two years here; understandably, many busy teachers see them as the simplest way to direct students through a large place that covers a great deal of content on what is sometimes a very short visit. But, few scavenger hunts I've seen require students to really engage with what they are seeing.

So, what else could a teacher do with a large group of middle or high schoolers, here for maybe an hour on a long day of museum visits? The museum has many outstanding programs available throughout the day, including theater programs and interactive carts, as well as Discover guides (our own variation on the scavenger hunt), and in the past, we've shared one teacher's idea for a technology-integrated field trip. But, as I thought about these scavenger hunts, I reflected on my own experiences as a middle school student, and I thought about big questions.

Jeff Mangram, my 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher, taught us to think; one of the first questions he asked us in the fall of 7th grade was, what is power? The first assignment I remember from that class was making a poster that depicted what power meant to me. It was the first time any teacher had asked me to define a term beyond a dictionary. It really pushed me to think about my assumptions and to articulate my views. And I thought, why not make a question like that the basis of a museum visit?

On February 1, 1960, four African American college students--Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond--sat down at this "whites only" lunch counter at the Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely asked for service. Their request was refused, and when asked to leave, the students remained in their seats in protest.

What if, instead of directing students to particular artifacts, teachers asked them to use their cameras and phones to photograph objects here that represent power to them, then organize them into a presentation for their classmates, or even just use these as the basis for a discussion on the bus? (And yes, photography is allowed except in the Star-Spangled Banner exhibition and where otherwise noted.) Might they include a symbol of protest? An emblem of the nation’s highest office from The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden? A communication tool from American Stories, such as the microphone used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his radio Fireside Chats (image above)? Currency from our Stories on Money exhibition? A uniform from The Price of Freedom: Americans at War? How might asking such a broad question get students thinking in new ways about history and about the world around them?

There are a host of other big questions one might ask students to answer through objects when visiting this museum, such as:

• What does it mean to be American? The museum houses the original Star-Spangled Banner from the War of 1812, which was the inspiration for our national anthem; many people consider this the quintessential symbol of America. What five other objects best symbolize America to you?
• What is the essence of citizenship? What objects represent what citizenship means in American history?
• Consider costumes. How does what we wear represent who we are? Find intriguing characters in the museum and explain what their clothes say about them, or find intriguing clothes and costumes and explain what they say about their wearer or their time.
• Is there an "immigrant experience"? Find examples of immigration stories and explore what makes them similar or different.
• What does "the American dream" mean to you? What objects in the museum represent that dream? What objects represent the American dream denied or deferred?
• What is justice? What objects represent justice, or the denial of justice, to you?

Parents might take a similar approach to visiting with their teens and have a discussion about a big question as you tour the museum or afterward.

How have you organized a visit to our museum in the past? What worked well for you? Would you ask a thematic question for a field trip? Why or why not?

Naomi Coquillon is an education specialist at the National Museum of American History who thanks Mr. Mangram and great teachers like him for not letting their students rest with simple questions or easy answers.

Soldiers in fur coats: Protectors, partners, and patriots in war and peace

Meet Fausto and Jimmy. Fausto is a Dutch Shepherd; Jimmy, a former Marine, is his handler. As a team, they are a Contract Working Dog (CWD) and his handler, and they’ve been trained in explosives detection. CWDs aren’t much different from Military Working Dogs (MWDs); they receive similar training, and CWD teams can supplement the work of the MWD teams. As a team, Fausto and Jimmy have saved lives, and Fausto has provided the type of stress relief and morale boosting to the troops that only a dog can give.

Jimmy and Fausto taking a break. Sketch by Richard Johnson, National Post

Last year, Fausto and Jimmy were in Afghanistan, where they caught the attention of combat artist Richard Johnson. Johnson was there at the behest of the Smithsonian, specifically the Division of Armed Forces History in the National Museum of American History, to document the coalition forces. He did a number of sketches of the soldiers and of the Afghan people. A selection of these sketches is now part of the museum’s military art collection. To find out more about Johnson’s odyssey in Afghanistan, see his blog. He’s currently back in Afghanistan for another tour, sketchbook at the ready, working on this new blog.

Dogs in the military became a hot topic last year when it was revealed that “Cairo,” a Belgian Malinois employed by SEAL Team 6, took part in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Americans love their dogs (39% of households own at least one dog), so naturally people were curious about these soldiers in fur coats. I was interested in learning what the dogs do, how they are trained, what they eat, and how they are cared for. So I put these questions to Jimmy, who very kindly gave me some answers. My favorite: Jimmy says that he can put a steak next to an explosive and Fausto will step over it to alert to the explosive!

Jimmy and Fausto out on patrol

How is Fausto trained?
Fausto is trained to be obedient to explosive odors, and will ignore other distractions. Training was conducted at North East Police K-9 Academy in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, with certification from the 341st Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas (where military working dogs and their handlers receive certification), in accordance with the Army regulations AR-190-12.

What do you feed him?
Working dogs get a dry kibble high-energy food as the standard. If the dog has weight issues or allergies, it is fed a special diet. Fausto gets fed twice a day, and yes, he gets treats. He’s kept at 74-76 pounds.

How do you take care of him?
Each dog receives standard vaccinations and others for country-specific health concerns. Daily inspections are conducted for fleas, ticks, and other parasites. Dog handlers are trained in Basic Life Saving Skills for canines: giving IVs; stabilizing fractures; treating gunshot wounds; treating lacerations; taking the dog’s core temperature, and treating the dog for heat and cold-related injuries. Each dog is looked after by the military veterinarians on base.

When is Fausto eligible for retirement?
The mandatory retirement age for Fausto’s line of work is eight years old. Many Military Working Dogs retire by the time they are ten. Upon retirement, dogs are eligible to be adopted by civilians if they are successfully retrained.

But don’t get excited about adopting Fausto. He’ll live out his retirement in Jimmy’s yard, playing catch. He also plans to visit the museum and see his sketch.

Fausto wearing his goggles

The Division of Armed Forces History is interested in collecting artifacts dealing with military working dogs; the only objects we have related to military working dogs are a collar and a shield which belonged to a German Shepherd named Vito, of the Pentagon’s Defense Protective Service Police/K9 Explosives Detection Unit. Vito’s partner was Officer Isaac Ho’opi, who helped save lives on September 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. (Stubby, a famous dog from World War I, was a mascot.) The Army considered dogs to be equipment, and they were treated as such, but that thinking has changed over the years; our thinking here has changed, as well, and we’ve been expanding the scope of our collections. Military working dogs (and contract working dogs) have proven that they are as valuable as their two-legged partners, and deserve recognition.

Fausto, if you’re reading this, good job!

Kathleen Golden is Associate Curator in the Division of Armed Forces History. In the past, she has blogged about Stubby the dog and World War II icon Audie Murphy. She is currently seeking artifacts related to military dogs for the museum’s collection. She can be reached at goldenk@si.edu.

You can find more sketches by Richard Johnson at his website or tweet him at @newsillustrator.

Fausto autographing his portrait for one of his many fans

The making of Labor Day

Editor's Note: To commemorate Labor Day, the American Enterprise exhibition team will be highlighting some of the museum’s rich collections in labor history over the next two weeks. Today’s post includes a brief history of the holiday by historian Paul Buhle. 

Labor Day, in its origins a 19th century celebration of the dignity of work, swiftly evolved into today’s pleasant pause at the end of summer before the coming of new, chillier seasons and life indoors. Arguably a response (in the United States, Canada, and an assortment of other countries) to the widespread socialistic celebration of Mayday, which coincides with the age-old rituals of spring, Labor Day sets off the New World, or at least North America, from the traditions of the Old.

Anthracite coal float, United Mine Workers of America, Dubois, Pennsylvania, Labor Day, 1908

Conflicting accounts trace the first American Labor Day to the inspiration of a local New Haven, Connecticut machinist, Matthew Maguire, or to that of the influential leader of the Carpenters’ union, Peter McGuire. In both accounts, 1882 became the key moment when the American Federation of Labor (AFL), a movement of craft unions and local central labor federations, solidified their young and fragile institutions. Largely German and Irish in most places, these unions and federations had traditions of summer holidays, and the institutional support to make the day’s events successful combinations of speech-making, beer drinking, and family fun.

 

John L. Lewis, one of America's foremost labor leaders, wore this badge at the 1936 United Mine Workers of America convention

In the era of bitter and often violent conflict between labor and capital, Republican and Democratic parties competed, especially at the local level, for workingmen’s votes. These votes had been especially crucial for Democrats, who claimed the loyalty of the lower classes since at least the presidency of Andrew Jackson. This loyalty was later reaffirmed by the connections of craft unions with local political decisions on urban construction projects of all kinds. However, waves of strikes from the early 1880s to the middle 1890s found Democratic officials, at the behest of manufacturers and merchants, calling out the police against strikers, thus threatening political loyalties. The Pullman Strike of 1894, where the army was used for the first time against striking workers (including the highly organized railroad engineers), seemed to push the problem to the breaking point.

The Pullman Strike, led by future Socialist presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs, was crushed, and Debs himself imprisoned. Within days of the strike’s end, Democratic President Grover Cleveland rushed a bill recognizing Labor Day through Congress. Not a single elected official in Congress voted against this measure—a fitting symbol for the claim, accurate or not, that American society was unique for its social compact between rich, poor, and middle classes.

President Cleveland himself chose the September date in order to set the American holiday off from European Mayday. An AFL resolution of 1909 declared the first Sunday to be the proper Labor Day, perhaps because Sunday holidays had long been popular for workers enjoying beer in picnic areas outside cities where Sunday sales were banned. Eventually, all states and the District of Columbia affirmed the holiday status for their residents. Although Labor Day was originally celebrated on Sunday, in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The act moved several federal holidays, including Labor Day, to Mondays.

Paul Buhle is a retired Senior Lecturer at Brown University and a longtime labor historian. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and edits non-fiction, historical comic art books.