Public History Magazine

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 NY...

  Baseball has long been considered part of America's pastime, right along with apple pie and hot dogs. The National Postal Museum based in the Smithsonian along with the Smithsonian Latino Center, has created an in-person and corresponding online exhibit showcasing the impact of Baseball on American culture and society.  “Baseball: America's Home Run '', is an exhibit which will be on view and open to the public through 2025.  It explores the history of baseball and how it has been commemorated through the post office. Through artifacts collected through private collectors and museums, such as uniforms, bats, along with artwork from the postal service, a unique history of baseball has been put on display. The four themes that run throughout  the exhibit are “Creating Baseball”, “We All Play Ball”, “The Negro Leagues”, and “Legendary Playing Fields”. Within each of these themes, a specific topic is brought to life and baseball's unsung heroes are brought into lig...

The online public history exhibit I reviewed is titled "Voices of Civil Rights," which is hosted on the website of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The NMAAHC website contains a variety of wonderful exhibits pertaining to African American history and culture, and I would recommend giving them a look. The “Voices of Civil Right,”  exhibit is a comprehensive look at the Civil Rights movement in the United States, covering the period from the early 20th century to the present day. One of the first things that stands out about this exhibit is its use of primary sources. Primary sources are very important in terms of providing credibility to the exhibit. This exhibit’s abundance of primary sources provides the viewers with lots of valuable information pertaining to Civil Rights. The NMAAHC has done an excellent job of collecting and presenting a wide range of documents, photographs, audio recordings, and video footage that give visitors a sense...

       Public History exhibits provide an opportunity to inform a general public on specific parts of history by walking through it themselves. They allow an unparalleled way for a visitor to engross and learn about a subject that they might not have ever learned about deeply otherwise. “Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow” is one of these types of exhibits, organized by the New-York Historical Society that took place between September of 2018 and March of 2019. The exhibition details the struggle for black citizenship that occurred in the United States in the post-Civil War era, detailing much of the struggle that African-Americans would go through under the Jim Crow laws. Originally a public display, it would later become one available to be seen online years after the original display had been taken down. Viewing the exhibit helps to tell about what type of audience that this exhibit is for, and how effective it is at delivering the information that it presen...