The Importance of Robert E. Lee Today
Robert E. Lee has been in the news a lot. His statues have become a battleground for the culture wars between the alt right and the alt left, the Neo-Confederates and the Politically Correct. Lost in the heat of war is the light of understanding. We are at a teachable moment to use a jargon […]
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey White House
It’s all fun. It’s all a circus. It’s all a rodeo. [It’s all a professional wrestling arena.] Until it smacks of racism.” David Letterman on Trump’s birther movement (quoted in “Chemistry, with Complications,” NYT August 16, 2017 paper copy). Above, a segment from 2012 in which Mr. Letterman mocked Mr. Trump for outsourcing his clothing […]
Teaching Local History by Walking Around: 3 Case Studies
Three case studies involving teaching local history by walking around were presented at the annual Teaching Hudson Valley Conference (THV), July 25-27, at the Henry Wallace Visitor and Education Center at the FDR Home and Presidential Library. Ironically given my recent series on Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service, here […]
Tom Hanks versus Our Immature Child-President
Everybody knows and loves Tom Hanks. We were sleepless in Seattle. We got mail. We were stranded on an island. We miraculously landed a jet liner on the Hudson River. What’s not to love about Tom Hanks? Tom Hanks also became big. As it turns out he did so on the boardwalk at Rye Playland […]
History Peril Post-Mortem
What has happened since the NPS-commissioned study “Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service” in 2011? In 2012, the authors of the study participated in a discussion published in The George Wright Forum (29 2012:246-263). I was able to download this publication because I have access to academic journals. One of […]
The New York History Alliance
There is, of course, no New York History Alliance. There is however a Massachusetts History Alliance. On June 12, 2017, the Massachusetts History Alliance held the 13th annual Massachusetts History Conference with the theme of Igniting a Passion for History. New York does not have an annual history conference and who is responsible for igniting […]
The Final Six Findings: Ending the History Peril
In this post, I review the final six findings and conclusion of Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service. Readers should keep in mind the relation of these findings to the history community as a whole including state, municipal, and private organizations. FINDING 7: PRODUCTIVE AND ENDURING PARTNERSHIPS FOR HISTORY When […]
Fulfilling the Promise: Recommendations to End the Peril of History (PART V)
In part 3 of the study on the state of history in the National Park Service, the authors turn to the findings and recommendations. The section carries the ominous title “The Endangered and Fragmented State of History in the NPS.” The opening paragraph uses such words as “an afterthought,” “stagnant and irrelevant,” “erratic,” “underfunded, undervalued, […]
Imperiled Promises: Successful NPS Case Studies (Part IV)
The report Imperiled Promises isn’t all doom and gloom. It does cite some examples of successful work already being done within the NPS prior to the recommendations listed in the report. In this post, I will focus on the examples primarily related to New York and offer some comments. African Burial Ground National Monument One […]
