The book “Slavery and Public History” deals with the dialogue of slavery in public places and tells of different places that were instances of the sensitive issue of presenting slavery. In recent years, portraying slavery in a public venue creates different emotions for different people, but in the end it stirs up controversy. Slavery and the African American community before the civil war have been left out of the public eye for the most part, until the later part of the 20th century when some curators and community leaders sought to give voice to the population under slavery in America. The problems of the presentation of slavery vary depending on the area as well as the community. The book describes that all areas of the United States administered slavery in some point in American history, but the problems of presenting slavery were different depending on the area. The northeastern portion projects a heritage of democracy and freedom and pushes the story of slavery away from memory because of the areas long times to the pursuit of independence. Areas such as The Library of Congress and The Liberty Bell book suffered problems of displaying a section of the history of slavery because of the rich tradition of the heritage of revolution and afterwards that the idea of the founding fathers owning slaves appeared to be a an unwanted exhibit. The south uncovered other complications on portraying history in that the relationship between slaves and white plantation owners were well known. Neither ancestral side knew the correct way of showing the true history without stirring up controversy or bringing up unwanted memories. In conclusion it seems that portraying the true history of slavery in an area without leaving any groups out appears to be one option to the question. It seems that communities want a just and full representation of the past without it being distorted or not shown.
I'm not sure I totally agree with your last comment about communities wanting a 'just and full' telling of the past. Instead, I think each segment of any given community wants to know that its story will be included. Memory of our past is the foundation of much of our self-identity. The 'Lost Cause' position is a good example. We now have at least three generations of southern white culture who have based their modern customs on the alluring, if misguided, idea of the beauty and grace of the plantation era. I don't really believe they think about the slave part -- at least not unless forced to do so. Instead they think of long, graceful dresses (that it took several people to lace a woman into); of warm, sultry nights (with no air conditioning or window screens); and the life of a gentleman farmer (although most white southern men of the pre-Civil War era were small farmers who worked as hard as or harder than any farmer today). I think we all want our bit of 'remembered' history ... the trick is to add everyone's bit into the pot until we have a closer (if never totally true) picture of the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kathy, but feel that Lauren really gets at the crux of the book - that this is a complicated issue that has so many possibilities for interpretation AND reception. The northeastern case, the birthplace of American liberty, is very interesting because it characterizes the 'oxymoronic' issue of slave-holding during an era dedicated to a Revolution for freedom* (*freedom only applicable in the 13 colonies for qualified white men while supplies last).
ReplyDeleteI think communities may not necessarily want a 'just and full' telling of their history, but I think that communities need it to heal from the things that divide them. One thing that I loved about the Chicago History Museum is that main narratives of the different communities in Chicago exist in a city where racial segregation is somewhat astoundingly high, and racial tensions aren't much better. This is a recent development at the Chicago History Museum, but hopefully it will help heal race relations in the city for future generations.
ReplyDeleteOften times when something traumatic and shameful occurs it is the common desire to shut it out. But, we embrace the history of the Jewish people, including the reality of the Holocaust. Why not slavery? I think it is different for America and slavery because as Horton points out, American prides itself on human freedom, yet was shaped by slavery. Nevertheless, at a certain point you have to face the undesirable truth. Horton and the collection of essays help readers to understand and embrace the events of slavery.
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