O Say Can You See?

Doubly Historical: Consider this layer of historical novels

Historical fiction transports us to the past—but also raises questions about the present. Museum educator Jenny Wei explored this topic with Sara L. Schwebel, author of Child-Sized History: Fictions of the Past in U.S. Classrooms.

As a life-long lover of historical fiction, I had a "forehead-slap" moment as I picked up Professor Sara Schwebel's book, which explores how children's historical fiction engages in historical interpretations. Of course the background of the historical novelist would impact the story he or she wrote. The author's perspective is shaped by the era in which he lived. Moreover, the author only has access to the historical research completed before the time her book is published. This shades the way characters and plot are imagined, even if the author’s research was thorough and the author's aim was to present "historical truth." Every work of historical fiction is what Professor Schwebel calls "doubly historical:" it reflects both the time it was written and the time in which it is set.

 

Three copies of "Island of the Blue Dolphins." Photography by Flickr user Arboreality (Megan), used via the creative commons license.

For example, the widely-taught Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, tells the story of an American Indian woman living alone on an island after the rest of her people relocate to the mainland, a story inspired by real events in the mid-nineteenth century. The moving narrative tells of the woman’s daily life, thoughts, and feelings. In chapter 25, for example, she explains how she kept track of time: "Until that summer, I had kept count of all the moons since the time my brother and I were alone on the island. For each one that came and went I cut a mark in a pole beside the door of my house. There were many marks, from the roof to the floor."

Reading the novel, it is easy to forget that O'Dell had no way to know what the woman truly experienced. When the "Lone Woman," as the islander came to be called, eventually came into contact with people on the mainland, no one understood her language. O'Dell, writing in 1960, had second-hand sources: for example, nineteenth-century accounts in which people reported their "interpretations" of the Lone Woman's hand gestures and the writings of ethnographers who studied the indigenous languages of California after the Lone Woman's death. Today, new archeological information is emerging about what life may have been like on the island, but O'Dell's story is frozen in the limited understanding and information available in 1960.

Professor Schwebel's book focuses on children's historical fiction, but the questions she poses apply to historical fiction for all ages. Think about your favorite historical novel: When was it written? Were attitudes toward social issues different in that era from attitudes today? Can you see a way the author's background (i.e., race, class, gender)is reflected in the way the story is told?

Child-Sized History explores these topics in great depth, but I had the pleasure of asking Professor Schwebel five questions:

Many schools are trying to figure out how to implement Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Does your approach relate to Common Core?
Historical fiction can be an ideal tool for helping students learn to read and think like historians, which is a central goal of the CCSS "Literacy in History/Social Studies." Standard 9, for example, asks students to compare how a single topic is presented in multiple sources. Students might read two historical novels about the French and Indian War—Elizabeth George Speare's Calico Captive (1957) and Joseph Bruchac's The Winter People (2002)—and think about how, and why, the historical arguments they make differ. Who is a "captive" and who a "captor" in each of the books? How did the sources the authors consulted in their research, as well as the time period in which they wrote, affect the stories they told? Importantly, Speare's narrative is rooted in an eighteenth-century captivity narrative, A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. Johnson, containing an account of her sufferings, during four years, with the Indians and French (1796)— available free online. Bruchac's research draws in part on oral histories of the Abenaki people.

What are some of your favorite questions to ask while doing research about a work of historical fiction?
Many historical novels start with an archival source: a diary, a colorful historical personality, a local story passed down through generations. When children's books originate in real historical events, authors often mention their source of information in interviews or author's notes. I like to start my research by finding these historical sources and reading them for myself.

How does the historical narrative compare to the fictional story the author created? Where did the author leave out details? Where did the author add or alter details? I especially like to ask: does the 20th or 21st century children's author adopt the perspective of the creator of the historical document: for example, if the primary source describes Native peoples as "wild" or "savage," does the author of the children's book assume this is an accurate description? Or does the children's author borrow details from the historical document but present them from a different perspective than the original author?

Do you have any favorite sources of information for students or novice researchers to start learning about authors?
I find authors' own words—about their research process, about their favorite books, and about how they "trick" themselves to sit down and write—fascinating. Today, many authors maintain websites, but if you are interested in researching authors who wrote in the pre-Internet era, you have to dig a little deeper. The Horn Book Magazine is a great source of author interviews, and it has also published every Newbery and Caldecott Medal acceptance speech given.

 

Dr. René Vellanoweth, his California State-Los Angeles graduate students, and U.S. Navy archeologists Steven Schwartz and Lisa Thomas-Barnett dig out what is most likely the Lone Woman's cave, described by Scott O'Dell in "Island of the Blue Dolphins." (April 2012)

I understand that the Island of the Blue Dolphins story also includes history that is currently being revealed. Can you tell us about that?
Archaeologists recently made some exciting discoveries on San Nicolas Island, home to the historical figure upon whom O'Dell's Karana is based. First, they uncovered a cave. Teams of archaeologists have been carefully removing layers upon layers of sand—the count so far: about 40,000 buckets or a million pounds. When they are done, they hope to find artifacts from both "Karana" and her ancestors, who undoubtedly used the cave before her. Second, archaeologists found two red-wood boxes filled with artifacts such as fish hooks, stone blades, and whittled bird bones. Although it's not known for certain, this, too, could be "Karana's."

 

J.P. Harrington with three Tule Indians, making dictaphone records of language and songs of the Cuna, in the Smithsonian Institution, National Anthropological Archives

How did museum visits, staff, or resources impact your research?
Museums contain treasures essential to studying children’s literature. The Smithsonian, for example, holds the papers of the famous archaeologist J.P. Harrington (1884-1961), who studied the languages and cultures of many Native peoples in California. Among the music Harrington recorded on wax cylinders was a song supposedly sung by the historical figure upon whom Karana was based. 

Earlier this year I visited the University of Minnesota Libraries' Kerlan Collection, which holds author Scott O'Dell's papers, including several drafts of Island of the Blue Dolphins. It was here that I learned that O'Dell considered Karana's Island and Island Girl as titles for his Newbery-winning book. I think he was wise to choose Island of the Blue Dolphins instead! As I examined manuscript drafts, I learned quite a bit about O’Dell writing process. For example, O’Dell carefully mapped out the plot of each of his chapters on thin, brown pages of paper that had been carefully cut in half. Lucky for me, he had pretty good handwriting!

From your experience as a teacher and training teachers, what are your tips for implementing these concepts in classrooms?

Take book reviews' praise of a novel as "historically accurate" with a grain of salt! Remember that all works of historical fiction are "doubly historical," and that to fully understand a historical novel, you need to consider how the past of the book's publication date (even if published in 2012) is interacting with the past of the novel's historical setting. Historical fiction can help children fall in love with history, and I encourage teachers to embrace the genre! Instead of using a historical novel to teach what happened in the past, however, teachers might use a historical novel to teach how we make sense of the past. History is interpretative: we create a useable past by telling a story. That story changes over time and it changes according to who narrates it. One way to make this challenging concept concrete is to juxtapose books that tell very different stories about the same event. I provide a number of examples of such novel pairings in my book Child-Sized History: Fictions of the Past in U.S. Classrooms (Vanderbilt UP, 2011). In fact, I wrote the epilogue with K-12 teachers especially in mind. In this section of the book, for example, I illustrate how to teach the American Revolution critically by asking students to compare three novels written during three different wars: Johnny Tremain (published during World War II), My Brother Sam is Dead (published in the wake of Vietnam), and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to Nation, Vol. I: The Pox Party (published in the midst of the War on Terror).

Education Specialist Jenny Wei has also blogged about favorite children's books books about Olympians and summer reading for adults.

Fiddling the Civil War

On certain days this winter, you could hear fiddle music coming from the Civil War section of our Price of Freedom exhibition. It was a bit haunting but also uplifting. Intern and violin player Sage Snider shares the story behind her Civil War fiddle project. While this program is wrapping up with the completion of Sage's internship, visitors can enjoy many of our other daily programs, which often include elements of music and theater. 

The moment I saw Solomon Conn's fiddle displayed in the Civil War section of the Price of Freedom exhibition, I felt relief: someone in history had taken even worse care of his violin than I did, and yet, it had STILL ended up featured in the National Museum of American History.

 

Solomon Conn, a Civil War soldier with Company B of the 87th Indiana Volunteers, recorded a list of his travels and battles on the back of his "Greffuhle” violin, turning the instrument into a unique document of his adventures and military record.

Conn's fiddle may be very different from the elegance of the Stradivari instruments in the museum's collection, but the fact that Solomon carried it with him throughout his Civil War travels and used it as a travel diary proves that it must have been important to him and to other soldiers in his regiment. I spent much of my internship trying to imagine and recreate the life of that fiddle on my own well-worn violin (admittedly, I have not inscribed a diary onto mine, but I have named the unintentional scratches that have become my historical legacy in my violin's life).

In the course of my research, I discovered that music was an essential part of life during the Civil War for soldiers and civilians on both sides of the war. More than just offering a break from the miseries of battle and camp life, music was part of larger political and military battles raging throughout the war. The museum's collection include sheet music from the Civil War era, including Kathleen Mavourneen, popularized by touring Irish opera singer Catherine Hayes, and Glory Hallelujah, which included lyrics about John Brown's body, pet lambs, hanging Jefferson Davis, and being a soldier in the Army of the Lord. Browse through the collection of Civil War sheet music here. 

 

Illustrated sheet music of "Our National War Songs" published by S. Brainard's Sons ca 1885. Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated Sheet Music - Armed Forces - Civil War, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

My Civil War project started with my belief that the best way to make musical history "come alive" for visitors would be to let them experience this music first-hand in a way comparable to how soldiers would have listened to and created music. Drawing on my own old-time fiddle repertoire as well as my readings on Civil War music and history, I chose a variety of songs that would be historically informative and yet relevant and entertaining. I also researched different lyrics that people might have sung to the same melodies (e.g., southern vs. northern soldiers, civilians, colored regiments, etc.) and used them to create my own "songster" for visitors to read and sing from. After learning the history and how to play the fiddle tunes, instrumental and vocal versions of the songs, and accompaniment parts to allow visitors to sing, I sat down with my songster in the exhibit and began fiddling.

 

Jeff in Petticoats / A Song for the Times sheet music. Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated Sheet Music - Armed Forces - Civil War, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Here are some of the songs I played:

• John Brown's Body/The Battle Hymn of the Republic: Basically the anthem of the North
• Dixie: Though the song was written by a northener, this became the anthem of the South
• Lorena: There were so many words in this popular "sweetheart ballad" that I never finished singing it
• Soldier's Joy: The name of a Civil War drink (beer, whiskey, and morphine), and the name of a still popular fiddle/dance tune—both guaranteed to bring soldiers "joy"
• Cumberland Gap: Fiddle tune about a highly contested gap in the Appalachian Mountains
• Home Sweet Home: Universally popular, but sometimes banned for inciting desertion!
• Hard Times/Tack Come Again No More: Classic Stephen Foster song and soldier parody
• When Johnny Comes Marching Home: Patrick Gilmore's optimistic rewrite of an anti-war Irish song
• Kingdom Coming: An abolitionist minstrel tune—popular with African American soldiers, but sung on both sides
• Maryland My Maryland: Confederate song about the Civil War's first casualties, it's still Maryland's state song!
• Nearer My God to Thee: Not just the "Titanic song," this hymn was played on the battlefield as survivors retreated from Pickett's charge
• Arkansas Traveler: A tune used in a minstrel skit about a hillbilly fiddler and city-slicker uniting over music
• Grey Eagle: Fiddle tune about a famous, defeated racehorse, Grey Eagle, who sired defeated Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveller
• Other Civil War era fiddle tunes: Red Haired Boy, Devil's Dream, Fisherman's Hornpipe, etc.

 

BMI Archives Confederate Music Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. More on this object.

Overall, I hope my program allowed visitors to experience some new and familiar ways that music inspired joy, comfort, hope, anger, pride, nostalgia, and all sorts of powerful emotions and ideas in people living more than 150 years ago.

Playing Civil War fiddle tunes for visitors

Not only was it incredible to learn more about history behind the music (and country) I unconsciously interact with all the time, but I especially loved being able to share the joy of fiddle music with many people who had never heard it before. I got to show visitors of all backgrounds, from babies to professional music teachers, how music is learned orally, how complex, beautiful, and fun American fiddle music can be, and how important a part of life this music was during the Civil War and can be today.

Sage Snider is a public programs intern. This is just one of many great projects resulting from our internship program. To jam out to more old-time music, check out the National Jukebox by the Library of Congress. They also offer a guide for teachers on Civil War music. 

Preparing for the National Youth Summit on Abolition

Editor's note: As the Museum prepares for the National Youth Summit on Abolition, we're exploring how teachers discuss slavery in their classrooms. Museum Programs Coordinator Susan Evans and Education Specialist Naomi Coquillon share what they've learned so far and why these issues are important to discuss with students.

How do you use the lessons of the past to address issues today in your classroom? How can students better understand the challenge of ending slavery and the courage of 19th century abolitionists? These were the questions the museum's team considered when deciding how to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation this year for students. When discussing these questions with teachers, we found a common response, similar to this one from Maryland teacher Jodi Gratman:

"When I teach about slavery in both 7th grade World Cultures and 10th grade World History, I am often surprised by how little students know/understand about slavery as an institution. Our students' understanding of slavery is confined to African slavery and the Americas. Students are often surprised when I explain that slavery is an institution that has existed for millennia—wars were fought, and the losers, if not killed, were enslaved. They are more surprised when I tell them that [modern-day] slavery still exists..." 

 

Inkwell used by Lincoln to write the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation

When President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, there were close to 4 million enslaved people living in America. Today, an estimated 27 million people around the world are victims of human trafficking and modern-day slavery, defined as labor conducted through force, fraud, or coercion. In America, thousands of people today are victim to this modern crime with historic roots, serving in domestic and agricultural work and in the commercial sex trade among other areas.

Watch Historians on "The Abolitionists" on PBS. See more from American Experience.

On January 8, 15, and 22, the American Experience documentary series explores the motivations and tactics used by abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Angelina Grimke, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Brown to help bring an end to legal slavery in the United States. (Enjoy historians' commentary on the documentary in the video above or here.)

On Monday, February 11 at Noon EST, the Museum will partner with WGBH/American Experience and Smithsonian Affiliations to examine the lessons the abolition movement of the 19th century holds for ending modern-day slavery with a free, live webcast for middle and high school students, our National Youth Summit on Abolition. The webcast will feature historians and activists in discussion with students and will include a conversation with Ken Morris, great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and founder of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, an organization dedicated to "honor[ing] and preserv[ing] the legacy of Frederick Douglass and rais[ing] awareness about the enduring crises of modern-day slavery."

 

Students ask questions at a previous Summit

Human trafficking and modern-day slavery affect every community and cut across class, race, gender, and education levels. In September of 2012, President Barack Obama stated that, "the outrage, of human trafficking... must be called by its true name—modern slavery... Our fight against human trafficking is one of the great human rights causes of our time... [and] we can draw strength from the movements of the past."

To have your class join this important conversation on February 11, register today at http://americanhistory.si.edu/nys/abolition.

Susan Evans is museum programs coordinator and Naomi Coquillon is an education specialist at the National Museum of American History.

Inspired by the First Ladies exhibition, a D.C. newbie becomes a museum volunteer

Editor's note: Yuri Yoshida became a docent (volunteer that leads museum tours) after moving from Japan to Washington, D.C. Andrea Lowther, manager of visitor programs, asked Yoshida to share her story. If doing more volunteering is one of your New Year's Resolutions, you can learn more about our docent program and apply online. A version of this post is also available in Japanese. 

"I like to contribute my time and energy so that many people get to know such an important, attractive museum," says Yoshida.

I came to Washington, D.C., from Japan three years ago for my husband's job. I wanted to do something I could only do in D.C. What kind of city is D.C.? D.C. is the capital city of America. It has the White House, the Capitol, and is named after the first President, George Washington. The Washington monument represents Americans' respect for his service. There are many Smithsonian museums and monuments on the Mall. But I only knew a few things about them. Isn't "the Smithsonian Museum" only one building? Who was Thomas Jefferson? Why do so many visitors from all over America visit here? I wanted to know more about this city. I also prefer to think that I live in an attractive city instead of a boring city and it is deeply linked to American history. Since I have learned more about it, I've found many appealing aspects of D.C.

 

The First Ladies exhibition at the museum

 

Then, I came to see the First Ladies exhibition. I learned that each first lady has struggled in this position, whether she wanted to be or not when their spouse became president. They have served the difficult role that draws the world's attention, although the job doesn't come with a specific list of responsibilities.

I was impressed by the First Ladies who tried to think and act according to their beliefs. Some First Ladies wanted to get involved in politics and some wanted to keep their lives private. There is only one First Lady at a time. She might feel isolated. As a woman, a wife and a mother, she might have something to be worried about.

 

Edith Wilson's 1915 evening dress

 

This is the first time I have lived in the U.S. I know that living in D.C. is a great experience but I've been struggling with different languages, customs, and cultures. It is hard for me to live in and raise my children in a foreign country. Through the beautiful gowns, I have been encouraged by the First Ladies who have struggled and tried to do their best in difficult circumstances.

Compared to the long history in Japan, American History is only some 200 years. It seems to me that compared to Japanese museums, American museums wouldn't have such old and wonderful. But I know history is made every day because I learn the history of America which became a country with such a big influence in only 200 years. In the museum artifacts, I see new aspects of America and I get new points of view of Japan.

Every time I say that I'm a docent in the National Museum of American History, many people are surprised. Although I applied for the docent position, actually I was surprised to be accepted. I was moved by American generosity which allowed me to be a docent although I’m not an expert in American history history and my English is not perfect. I will try to live up to the expectations of the museums and the visitors.

Memories and family history

George Scurlock (son of George Scurlock, the photographer) with his siblings in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. 

A couple of years ago, my coworkers and I were discussing our most memorable Christmas gifts over lunch. Most of the memories were of beloved or most-wished-for things, but when it came to my turn to share, what came to mind were stories.

I thought about the year that a heavy snow knocked out the power at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve. My family and I sang carols and told stories of past Christmases by candlelight. I thought about the year that I had come home midway through a year abroad and decided to record my family singing "Let it Snow" together to take back with me, and how grateful I am to have that recording now that we can no longer gather for the holidays. Those times to be together, to use traditions as an entrée into conversations about family history, were what made Christmas special to me.

As much as museums are about objects, they are just as much about the stories that exist behind those objects. If your family is gathering, it may be a time that you're able to talk, especially with children, about family stories. If you do, our History Explorer website has a few resources that may help you expand on and record the conversation. Our oral history kit, while focused on documenting stories of immigration and migration, provides some useful guidance in preparing to record your family's history.

 

A 1957 Scurlock Studio photo of "Miss Margo Brown's Children's Party"

For younger children, our Design a Family Flag activity encourages children and their caregivers to work together to think of symbols and colors that represent their family to them. Both of these activities can help children to understand their family history, while the experience of interviewing a relative or creating a family flag together may become the memory they share at some future lunch table conversation.

While my coworkers talked about objects and I talked about an experience when thinking of memorable Christmas gifts, the essence was the same. Their objects were perhaps gone, but the joy preserved in their memories remained. For all of us, those memories were the greatest gifts of all.

Naomi Coquillon is an education specialist at the National Museum of American History. She has shared other museum resources in this blog post.