New York Historical Society - Vietnam War: 1945-1975

Throughout the course of the semester, we have defined what Public History is and how it plays a role in our daily lives. Public Historians use their knowledge of history to create different modes of experiencing the past from its various angles. They use modes like museums, monuments, historic sites, oral history, archives, and different forms of media to convey historical themes to the public. These formats are used by public historians in order to give the public a clearer understanding of the past by utilizing its various perspectives. I reviewed the New York Historical Society (NYHS) website and learned using different digital modes about the Vietnam War exhibit. According to the NYHS website, “In this groundbreaking exhibition The Vietnam War: 1945-1975, the New York Historical Society examined the causes, progression, and consequences of one of the most controversial events of the twentieth century.” This exhibition was on view from October 4th, 2017 to April 22, 2018 at the NYHS museum and continues to offer virtual engagement today.

The NYHS Vietnam Exhibition focused on the war's divisiveness and how it challenged democracy, patriotism, and foundations of American life. The exhibition used a culmination of 300 artifacts, photographs, artworks, documents, films, and interactive digital media to tell the stories of the war. The main website page had five different tabs with different digital modes for learning including: photographs (slideshows), murals, videos, music, and oral histories. Each section tells a portion of the story about the Vietnam War. 

The first tab on the main page provided slideshows of collections of photographs on different aspects of the Vietnam War. The slideshows covered the war-front, military libraries, anti-war movements, and even war-time sayings on Zippo lighters. They focused on the use of photography to capture historical events, equipment, people, documents, and artifacts to enhance the mental illustration that is provided by public historians to their public audience. The use of photographs is extremely important for public historians because it is a digital advantage that we can capture an item or moment in history to preserve and display it to the world. Photos allow public historians to better understand and illustrate the events to the public and provide a sense of authenticity in images that extends past the words and stories of oral traditions.

Proceeding to review the videos tab on the main page, there are several videos on display for public consumption about the war. There was a collection of anti-war commercial advertisements focused on “unselling the war”. These commercials divided Americans who continued to lose loved ones in a war halfway around the world. They were angered that the American government was spending billions of dollars daily on war efforts while men, women, and children on their own shores were disadvantaged. The video collection also had a short documentary on the necessary photography of dangerous and horrific moments during the war. Another video showed a South Vietnamese soldier and photographer capture the moment a napalm strike devastated a small village in Trang Bang. Seen running from the smoke are a number of people, including a young girl whose clothes had burnt off and skin had melted and peeled. The photograph of the Napalm Girl showed the true horrors of war, and the taken innocence of women, the elderly, and children. The videos play an important role in understanding the severity of the war and show the public audience the reality and brutality of war.

The video tab also had videos about things I had never learned about. There was a video about the CEO of FedEx, and how his company came to fruition because of the Vietnam War. The founder of FedEx, Fredrick Smith, observed and utilized the methods of transportation used by the military overseas. The shipment of rations, ammunition, and equipment was extremely important to their ability to survive. After the war, he used what he learned and applied it in the United States. Fredrick Smith created the company Federal Express and began shipping important cargo for the United States government and grew into the company we know today. Another interesting video on the NYHS website was about Marvin Gaye’s brother Frankie, and how his experiences in
Vietnam altered the music his brother Marvin wanted to perform. With Marvin Gaye rising as a pop singer, his brother Frankie would hear him singing on the radio while on the frontlines in Vietnam. After returning home from Vietnam to racism, segregation, poverty, and lack of job opportunities, Marvin listened to experiences of his brother Frankie. Marvin heard him and many others like him fight for the freedom of this country all to return to a life of segregation and racial injustice. He channeled the feelings that many African Americans were feeling at the time and created What’s Happening Brother in 1971. This album and particular song was extremely important because it stimulated dialogue on the issues of segregation, racism, and the injustices African Americans felt after returning home from war.

The last three tabs on the main page focus on music, murals, and oral histories pertaining to the Vietnam War. Interestingly, the music tab had a playlist of Vietnam era music that you can listen to at your own convenience. The mural tab was particularly interesting, with digital interactive maps on display that focus on a number of political and social issues occuring in the late sixties. There are two digital maps that show the effects of the war on the war-front and the home-front. These two murals allow users to click on different icons about various affairs and controversies in the late sixties. The murals provided illustrations and descriptions on anti-war protests in New York, San Francisco, and many other cities across the United States. Most notably, the Spring Mobilization March and the United Nations rally played important roles in showing the emotions of the American people. The war-front mural had illustrations of Northern Vietnamese cities like Saigon and Dak To as well as descriptions of how the guerilla battles were fought. The mural and oral histories tabs do an excellent job at creating a sense of authenticity for the user through the use of descriptive story telling and images. The oral histories tab offered excerpts about the lives and experiences of different individuals who experienced Vietnam in different ways. These excerpts include audio and conversations about the war that provide the public audience with a sense of legitimacy about how serious this war's impact was on the American way of life.

In conclusion, the New York Historical Society's exhibition on the Vietnam War was exceptional in its usability and simplicity. The purpose of this exhibit is to give those exploring the site a better understanding of the Vietnam War and the causes, progression, and consequences around it. It was incredibly easy to be engaged and learn about the event and how it affects American life to this day. This exhibit will leave you with a clearer understanding of the Vietnam War and interesting stories that you might not have known prior.

References

“The Vietnam War: 1945 – 1975.” New-York Historical Society. New-York Historical Society Museum & Library, n.d. https://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/vietnam-war-1945-1975. 

“The Vietnam War: 1945 – 1975.” Vietnam War. New York Historical Society Museum & Library, May 21, 2019. https://vietnamwar.nyhistory.org/?_ga=2.203297368.851626439.1671417440-2072616804.1671417440.