1
30
61
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/10/Abigail_Adams.jpg
9db84a050fc9f8cba749e68cea41871f
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Portrait of Abigail Adams
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
How would you describe this moment?
(Abigail Adams, writing to her husband John - March 31, 1776)
"I long to hear that you have declared an independancy—and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation.
That your Sex are Naturally Tyrannical is a Truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend. Why then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity. "
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Abigail Adams Stands Up for “Ladies”
Description
An account of the resource
In a time when wives were treated like property, Abigail Adams insisted that her husband “Remember the Ladies” when writing the laws of the country and warning him, that “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” Full text of some of her letters can be found at http://americainclass.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/AAdams-StudentVersion.pdf
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Adams, Abigail
Subject
The topic of the resource
Whenever I get discouraged about the struggle for equal rights for women, I remember all the women (and men) who’ve been fighting for those rights in the U.S. throughout our country’s history. Reading the letters written between Abigail Adams and her husband John, I’m reminded just how far we’ve come.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
abigail-adams-stands-up-for-the-ladies
Adams, Abigail
Adams, John
Equal Rights
History
Letter Writing
Patriarchy
United States History
Women's Rights
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/3/23/burns-america-huey-long-200.jpg
a7944704b0c8945ea7d64d25beb80035
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
from Ken Burns' "America"
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Ken Burns
Description
An account of the resource
This collection includes contributions by the renown filmmaker Ken Burns.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ken-burns-humanities-moments
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/263519382" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Answering the Question “Who Are We?”
Description
An account of the resource
In this short video, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns recalls having Robert Penn Warren read a passage from his novel <em>All the King’s Men</em> during the production of the Huey Long portion of his documentary series “Ken Burns’ America.” He notes that it is voices like Warren’s that have helped animate his work, bringing to life his own journey and that which he has tried to share through his films.<br /><br />For Burns, this particular passage from <i>All the King’s Men</i>—about dirt, creation, and man’s place and purpose on Earth—is a “wonderfully existential statement” that excavates the “emotional archaeology” of humanity. Warren’s writing serves as a compass that can help navigate what Burns calls “the specific gravity of our own self-destructive impulses.” In spite of the diverse range of his film topics, they are all united by a simple question: as Americans, who are we?
Date
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1986
Contributor
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Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker
Identifier
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ken-burns-who-are-we
Source
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<em>All the King's Men</em> by Robert Penn Warren
All the King's Men
Books & Reading
Documentary Films
Filmmakers
History
Literature
Long, Huey
United States History
Walpole, New Hampshire
Warren, Robert Penn
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/3/24/ken-burns-1800.jpg
e9278265c2a75fd84c7bc4d790545390
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Ken Burns
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/3/24/young-lincoln.jpg
595930a8dd36baa2e081af7fdcdaaa31
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Ken Burns
Description
An account of the resource
This collection includes contributions by the renown filmmaker Ken Burns.
Identifier
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ken-burns-humanities-moments
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/263519438" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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Title
A name given to the resource
Why We Always Come Back to Abraham Lincoln
Description
An account of the resource
Ken Burns describes how lines from a historic speech given by 29-year-old Abraham Lincoln have “haunted and inspired” him for nearly 40 years. Expanding on what is revealed in those sentences, Burns discusses how they speak not only to Lincoln’s basic character and optimism, qualities that proved essential to his presidency. He goes on to note that Lincoln’s words, here and elsewhere, are suggestive of what is best in the American character.<br /><br />“A handful of sentences” from Lincoln’s 1838 Springfield speech on national security left a deep imprint on the filmmaker’s own philosophy. For Burns, Lincoln’s narrative illustrates how, as a nation, we are “still stitched together by words and, most important, their dangerous progeny, ideas.” Time and again, Lincoln’s eloquence and vision has guided Burns as he enlists documentary film to tell the story of the United States and its citizens.
Contributor
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Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker
Identifier
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ken-burns-abraham-lincoln
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Abraham Lincoln's 1838 speech on national security delivered in Springfield, Illinois
American Speeches
Civil Rights Movement (United States)
Documentary Films
Filmmakers
History
Liberty
Lincoln, Abraham
National Security
Optimism
Oratory
Presidents of the United States
Slavery
Springfield, Illinois
United States History
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/8/28/hm-daut-360.mp4
cbca86926e50cbf5831307fca2975428
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
How teaching and understanding literature makes a difference in the world
Subject
The topic of the resource
English professor Marlene Daut recalls an illuminating encounter that she had with one of her students in her introduction to 19th-century African American Literature class at the University of Miami.
Description
An account of the resource
For Daut, this conversation with one student who saw herself and her history in the achievements of authors such as Douglass and Wheatley affirmed the importance of literature and the humanities in helping us to understand both the past and the lives of others.
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/8/28/Phillis_Wheatley.jpg
98e59813f976f49ce5165ec50f405464
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Phillis Wheatley
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
National Humanities Center Fellows
Subject
The topic of the resource
Any contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
Description
An account of the resource
This collection includes contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
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Contributor
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<a href="http://www.haitianrevolutionaryfictions.com/">Marlene Daut</a>, Associate Professor of African Diaspora Studies, University of Virginia
Identifier
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marlene-daut-inspirational-literature
Title
A name given to the resource
Inspirational Literature
Description
An account of the resource
In this video Marlene Daut describes how teaching literature to college students enables them to both understand their lives and history better, as well as be inspired regarding their possible futures.
African American Authors
African American History
African American Literature
Books & Reading
Coral Gables, Florida
History
Inspiration
Professors
Teachers & Teaching
United States History
University of Miami
Wheatley, Phillis
Women's History
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/36/NY_architecture.jpg
5e8ec44e204523721ce833d730af9c71
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
New York, New York
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pP8Uqcl0sCM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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Title
A name given to the resource
The Streets of New York Are Like a Library
Description
An account of the resource
In this video submission, artist Carter Thompson discusses how a recent exhibit on the Harlem Renaissance revealed some of the fascinating history of the century-old building in which he lives and helped him feel a connection across the decades with those who lived in the neighborhood before him.
Thompson describes how his sensibilities as an artist are informed by the stories of those who have walked the same streets, or seen the angle of the light in much the same way. He also notes how the humanities help us to bridge differences wrought by time and vastly different life experiences, and to find the common threads of our shared humanity.
Contributor
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Carter Thompson, artist and designer
Identifier
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new-york-is-like-a-library
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
An art exhibition on the Harlem Renaissance
Architecture
Art Exhibitions
Artists
Harlem Renaissance
History
New York, New York
Photography
Storytelling
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/8/38/Transatlantic_slave_trade_map.jpg
983f0aba28f565d13b3c00a658d7585f
Dublin Core
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Title
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Transatlantic slave trade map
Identifier
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transatlantic-slave-trade-map
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
National Humanities Center Fellows
Subject
The topic of the resource
Any contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
Description
An account of the resource
This collection includes contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/336442167" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Dublin Core
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Title
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How do you get to the stories we are <em>not </em>told?
Description
An account of the resource
Bernier shares how her lifelong interest in the history of slavery was sparked by curiosity about the stories that seemed to be missing in the account of the British Empire she was taught in school.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
<a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/celeste-marie-bernier">Celeste-Marie Bernier</a>, University of Edinburgh
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
bernier-stories-not-told
British Empire
History
Slavery
Teachers & Teaching
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/4/42/Civil_Rights_leaders_marching_in_Washington_D.C..jpeg
8602d72c53967107ca4e66a93e19975f
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Civil rights leaders marching in Washington, D.C.
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Educators
Description
An account of the resource
This collection features contributions by teachers, education administrators and others involved in teaching at levels K-16.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
educators-humanities-moments
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="640" height="360" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/269216056"></iframe>
Dublin Core
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Title
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Eyes on the Prize
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Kamille Bostick, Vice President, Education Programs, Levine Museum of the New South
Description
An account of the resource
Kamille Bostick shares the moment when she first saw the PBS documentary <em>Eyes on the Prize</em> and discusses how the revelations of that film history have contributed to her career and her long interest in history, especially the lives and accomplishments of African Americans.<br /><br />Seeing herself reflected in pictures and stories of African American history inspired Bostick to learn more about the lives and stories of those who came before her. In tandem, an <em>Ebony</em> magazine series and the film prompted two realizations for Bostick: first, the extent to which history matters; second, given how much African Americans have enriched U.S. culture, she “couldn’t not know more” about the history of those she saw depicted. In her own work, Bostick strives to honor and remember the songs, creations, and stories of African Americans throughout the nation’s history.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
eyes-on-the-prize
African American History
Civil Rights Movement (United States)
Documentary Films
Ebony Magazine
Eyes on the Prize
Hampton, Henry
History
Journalism
Magazines
Museums
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service)
Storytelling
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/4/47/Burning_of_Stamp_Act-600.jpg
353a0dc7bb8e2c01fedb32b27f1d08da
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
The burning of the Stamp Act in 1765
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Educators
Description
An account of the resource
This collection features contributions by teachers, education administrators and others involved in teaching at levels K-16.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
educators-humanities-moments
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/269216296" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Dublin Core
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Title
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<em>Feeling</em> the American Revolution
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Steve Oreskovic, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District
Description
An account of the resource
History teacher Steve Oreskovic discusses how he gets his students to empathize with the feelings of injustice among colonists in the run up to the American Revolution, helping them gain a richer context for learning about history.
Through the practice of experiential learning—a simulation of a tax on school supplies—Oreskovic created an opportunity for his students to imagine the lived realities of American colonists. In doing so, he drew parallels with the Stamp Act imposed by the English government in 1765. The experiential activity “really gets them into the why,” he explains. By reflecting on the internal feeling of injustice, his students gained a richer understanding of the past that transcends the mere knowing of dates, names, and places.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
feeling-american-revolution
Active Learning
American Revolution
Charlotte, North Carolina
History
Stamp Act of 1765
Teachers & Teaching
United States History
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/5/56/1985_ribbon_cutting_African_American_Park_Ranger.jpg
550d85e6a2e2853e43c7b3ed2a928590
Dublin Core
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Title
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African American Park Ranger Sylvester Putman and Maggie Laura Walker Lewis at the July 14, 1985 opening ceremony for Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
California Humanities: “We Are the Humanities”
Description
An account of the resource
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, California Humanities invited a group of 40 prominent Californians to share what the humanities meant to them, helped shape their lives and their understanding of the world. The complete archive of these recollections is available at http://calhum.org/about/we-are-the-humanities.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
california-humanities
Moving Image
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Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="480" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cU_KTDTZxXM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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Title
A name given to the resource
The Only Person of Color in the Room
Description
An account of the resource
<p>At 95, Betty Reid Soskin is the oldest active U.S. Park Ranger. Having lived through wars, racial segregation, and other turbulent times in our history, she says empathy and world peace are possible through the humanities.</p>
<p>To celebrate its 40th year anniversary of grant making, programming, and partnerships that connect Californians to each other, California Humanities invited a group of 40 prominent Californians to explore what the humanities mean to them. For more information visit <a href="http://calhum.org/about/we-are-the-humanities" title="California Humanities: We Are the Humanities" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">California Humanities: We Are the Humanities</a>.</p>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms">Standard YouTube License</a>
Publisher
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California Humanities
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
betty-reid-soskin-us-national-park-ranger
Contributor
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Betty Reid Soskin, U.S. National Park Service Ranger
African American History
American Civil War & Collective Memory
Ancestors
Collective Memory
Empathy
Historic Sites
Historical Memory
History
National Parks & Reserves
Peace
Race Relations
Slavery
United States Park Rangers
Women's History
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/10/60/mount-rushmore-900.jpg
65230277a5b6d2507d59a03c583934bb
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mount Rushmore
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
National Humanities Center Board Members
Description
An account of the resource
This collection includes contributions from the distinguished board of trustees of the National Humanities Center
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Player
html for embedded player to stream media content
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/259932522" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
A Lifelong Passion and Appreciation for History
Contributor
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Ben Vinson III, Provost and Executive Vice President of Case Western Reserve University
Identifier
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ben-vinson-lifelong-passion-appreciation-history
Subject
The topic of the resource
Vinson describes how a knowledge of local history—in this case, Mount Rushmore—transformed his understanding of the world around him. His mother, an elementary school teacher, would read her son stories of the monument’s construction, instilling a lifelong passion for history. Vinson goes on to explain how history provides a “much greater context to the things happening in our daily lives.”
Description
An account of the resource
Ben Vinson III reflects on how an appreciation for history can enrich our understanding of what he calls the “depth to our days.” Specifically, he recalls how the story of Mount Rushmore’s construction kindled his boyhood imagination growing up in South Dakota. His mother, an elementary school teacher, would read her son stories of the monument’s construction, instilling a lifelong passion for history. Vinson goes on to explain how history provides a “much greater context to the things happening in our daily lives.”
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
A story about the construction of Mount Rushmore
Books & Reading
History
Keystone, South Dakota
Mothers & Sons
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
National Monuments
Professors
Teachers & Teaching
United States History
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/87/effects-near-history-960x590.jpg
0ed654ddc1b7046cc65e5c267c54f3b6
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
The Middle East
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Witnessing the Effects of Near-History in Iraq
Description
An account of the resource
I was a newspaper reporter covering the War in Iraq in the late 2000s. My assignment was exciting, but often lonely. I bounced from town to town, usually embedded with the U.S. Army. At the end of a long day, there often was no one to talk to, grab a bite with or even watch a bootleg movie. What I did have, though, was a paperback copy of <em>The Great War for Civilization</em> by Robert Fisk. The book helped describe the near-history events that led to the real-time history I was witnessing on a daily basis. Through thorough research and masterful storytelling, I could better understand how an event decades earlier would reverberate throughout the entire region, setting the stage for what I was witnessing: more than 100,000 American troops trying to hold together a country that had fallen apart, creating a proxy war that drew in interests from the entire region. What I was witnessing firsthand provided the color, but the book added depth of understanding.<br /><br />I did not start my assignment as a Middle East or Iraq expert; rather, my expertise lay more in knowledge of the U.S. military. The book provided a crash course in how the region got to where it was at that point, and it made an indelible impression on my understanding of the Middle East.
Subject
The topic of the resource
I did not start my assignment as a Middle East or Iraq expert; rather, my expertise lay more in knowledge of the U.S. military. The book provided a crash course in how the region got to where it was at that point, and it made an indelible impression on my understanding of the Middle East.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<em>The Great War for Civilization</em> by Robert Fisk
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Robert Fisk
Date
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2008
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Scott, 34, former journalist
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witnessing-effects-near-history
Armed Forces
Fisk, Robert
History
Iraq War (2003-2011)
Journalism
The Great War for Civilization
The Middle East
Writers
-
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Fishing Camp
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National Humanities Center Fellows
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Any contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
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This collection includes contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
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Resilience, Humility, and Picnics
Description
An account of the resource
<p>I like picnics. Picnics take us outside, to share food with people we like. Those are my three favorite things, and picnics offer all three with a minimum of fuss or cost.</p>
<p>Every picnic is a special occasion. But one stands out because it showed me how much we can learn from deeply observing the world around us. Such observation joins us to the experiences of those who have come before, and perhaps even see through their eyes. It is a humanities experience.</p>
<p>One summer day, to celebrate a birthday, my spouse and I packed up our little girls and went to California’s China Camp State Park for a picnic. China Camp is a few hundred acres of oak savannah and salt marshes on the Marin County shoreline of San Francisco Bay. It is a humble place, just a few buildings clustered around an old pier, but the sheltered cove offers one of the few calm wading beaches in San Francisco Bay. Settled at the lone picnic table under a feral plum tree buzzing with bees, we ate our food and then played with our toddlers on the gravelly shore.</p>
<p>But it wasn’t gravel, we soon realized. It was shell. Much of the beach was composed of tiny, sharp oyster shells of the California oyster, <em>Ostrea lurida</em>. Long thought functionally extinct, the bay’s native oyster still flourished on the Marin Shore and across the bay near the Chevron oil refinery. This humble state park, named for the Chinese shrimp fishermen who lived and worked here in the 19th and 20th centuries, represented not only a physical reminder of these men’s presence, but also the bounty of fish and shellfish that fed Californians for more than a century.</p>
<p>For me the picnic brought an epiphany. San Francisco Bay is not only the battered, polluted remnant of a majestic natural resource, as environmentalists often see it. It continues to be the living, thriving host to the West’s most productive wetlands and California’s green heart. The water that circulates through the bay sustains both the human and nonhuman communities of the region. The shell, and its place, tell an environmental history. They reveal the interdependence of humanity and nonhuman nature. What looks like a purely cultural space turns out to be full of nature. And what looks like a purely natural space turns out to be full of culture. San Francisco Bay, like the oyster and China Camp State Park, is a hybrid of human labor and natural forces.</p>
<p>I am not trying to be nostalgic. Such hybrids are not always peaceful, just, or safe. Indeed the Chevron refinery does more than shelter a threatened native species. The neighboring community, which is mostly nonwhite and disproportionately low-income, suffers from the presence of the refinery. The refinery site is the continuing site of contamination, illness, and hazardous exposure and a textbook case in environmental injustice. Living well with nature requires sharing the risks of our industrial society, not just dumping them on the vulnerable.</p>
<p>My “humanities moment,” then, is an oyster shell I found in an unlikely urban setting. The shell and its place taught me a lesson about nature’s resilience, about memory, and the imperative for social justice. All three are elements I associate with the humanities.</p>
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San Francisco Bay
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May 2004
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<a href="https://history.ncsu.edu/people/faculty_staff/mmbooker">Matthew Booker</a>, associate professor of American environmental history, North Carolina State University
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resilience-humility-picnics
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San Francisco Bay
China Camp State Park, California
Ecology
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Racism
History
Nature & Civilization
Oyster Fisheries
Petroleum Industry
Picnics
Professors
San Francisco Bay
Social Ecology
United States History
-
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William Millan
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#Humanitiesinclass
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This collection includes contributions from members of the National Humanities Center's education project Humanities in Class. The project aims to develop a deeper portfolio of curricular materials and help set standards for humanities education that highlight differences among humanities disciplines.
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Title
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Finding “the Truth” in Music
Description
An account of the resource
In June 2017, I found myself in a cramped, sweltering apartment in New York’s East Village. I was there with three high-school students to interview William Millan, founder of the seminal 1970s Latin band, Saoco. The students were working on a documentary film about the history of musical communities in New York City. After playing several Saoco albums for us, William described how his interest in the roots of Latin music led him on an intellectual journey to understand the cultural history of the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. Then he said something profound:
“I wasn’t a very good history and geography student when I was in school… it wasn’t until I really got into the music that I realized it’s not that I don’t like history and geography—I really love history and geography. It was the information they were giving me in school that I couldn’t relate to because it had nothing to do with what I was living. If you go into the music, and you check out the artists’ lives, that’s going to give you a truer picture of history; and in their body of work you’re going to see what the truth is.”
In 20 years of teaching, I have never heard a better articulation of music’s power to engage students in the study of history and culture.
Reflecting on the interview with William, I realized that he was describing the very learning experience my students were having as they created their documentary. By investigating the relationship between individuals and the music that shaped their lives, the students were in fact developing deeper understandings about the history of neighborhoods, their city, and American society—and seeing connections across time and place. Like William, their interest in music led them to think like historians. That day reaffirmed my commitment to interdisciplinary learning and, specifically, to using music and art wherever possible to help students make meaningful connections in my classroom.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Reflecting on the interview with William, I realized that he was describing the very learning experience my students were having as they created their documentary. By investigating the relationship between individuals and the music that shaped their lives, the students were in fact developing deeper understandings about the history of neighborhoods, their city, and American society—and seeing connections across time and place. Like William, their interest in music led them to think like historians. That day reaffirmed my commitment to interdisciplinary learning and, specifically, to using music and art wherever possible to help students make meaningful connections in my classroom.
Source
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Interview with William Millan, musician and founder of the band, Saoco
Date
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June 2017
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<a href="http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/humanities-in-class-guide-thinking-learning-in-humanities/">Ben Wides</a>, age 46, social studies teacher, East Side Community High School, New York City
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finding-truth-in-music
Art
Cultural History
Documentary Films
Geography
History
Interdisciplinarity
Latin Music
Millan, William
Music
New York, New York
Saoco
Teachers & Teaching
-
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babd8147f4fc55e2dde4f7a8be1c3eb0
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The Virginia State Capitol
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#Humanitiesinclass
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This collection includes contributions from members of the National Humanities Center's education project Humanities in Class. The project aims to develop a deeper portfolio of curricular materials and help set standards for humanities education that highlight differences among humanities disciplines.
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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/259915690" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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The Virginia State Capitol: Past and Present
Description
An account of the resource
I had been to the Virginia State Capitol many times since I moved to Richmond in 1989. I’ve viewed proceedings in the House and Senate chambers, held meetings for students, given several lectures in the meeting rooms, and toured the building with family, friends, and students. Yet, until I took part in the Humanities in Class project with the National Humanities Center, I had not thought carefully about why the building was so important, both to me and to the people of Virginia. Just recently I visited the Capitol with a group of students and as I looked up at huge white columns and wandered through the building, I began to think more deeply about the transformative nature of this place. I looked past the architecture, the museum pieces and the contemporary issues debated in the General Assembly to the problem of race in the history of Virginia. I also began to think of its ability to transform the lives of my students.
An architectural design conveys the meaning or purpose of a building. The designer want us to experience something when we see, enter, or tour a building. But it strikes me that the architecture itself can have many meanings and that historical events and people who live and work in buildings can transform their original intent. The humanities should teach us to appreciate architecture and understand the meaning of public buildings, but they also give us the tools to see beyond the edifice, the structure, the artistic beauty. When we look beyond the purpose of the building to the people inside, we are likely to find a new and different meaning and purpose.
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An architectural design conveys the meaning or purpose of a building. The designer want us to experience something when we see, enter, or tour a building. But it strikes me that the architecture itself can have many meanings and that historical events and people who live and work in buildings can transform their original intent. The humanities should teach us to appreciate architecture and understand the meaning of public buildings, but they also give us the tools to see beyond the edifice, the structure, the artistic beauty. When we look beyond the purpose of the building to the people inside, we are likely to find a new and different meaning and purpose.
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The Virginia State Capitol
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Thomas Jefferson with Charles-Louis Clerriseau
Date
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July 2017
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<a href="http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/humanities-in-class-guide-thinking-learning-in-humanities/">Daniel J. Palazzolo</a>, 56, professor of political science at the University of Richmond
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virginia-state-capitol-past-present
Architecture
Capitols
Clérisseau, Charles-Louis
History
Jefferson, Thomas
Presidents of the United States
Professors
Public Buildings
Racism
Richmond, Virginia
Teachers & Teaching
University of Richmond
Virginia State Capitol
-
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51c531242641e2719757ac6e71bd44b2
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September 11, 2001
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Teacher Advisory Council
Description
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This collection includes contributions from the National Humanities Center's Teacher Advisory Council. The council is a 14-member board that supports the Education Programs of the National Humanities Center for a one-year term of service.
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9/11 Shaped My Career
Description
An account of the resource
I was a brand new college freshman getting ready to attend my Political Science class that started at 8:45am on September 11, 2001. I heard the news on the radio when I first woke up and I thought it wasn't real. I turned on the TV and still couldn't believe it was real. I didn't know what else to do except go to class and so I did. My professor came in the room sobbing and she told us all to go home and be with our families. We all walked out of the lecture hall, scattering across the green, going our different directions. I began walking to my car but my mind was focused on one thing, I wanted to go volunteer for military service. My dad had served during Vietnam and I felt like it was my duty. So I called my dad and told him my plan and he said to me (in probably the first adult conversation we would have), "You don't need to serve in the military because I served for you. If you really want to make a difference in this world, start thinking about how you can give back to your community through your career or volunteer service." At that point, I was a communications major and I had aspirations of being a sport journalist. I stuck it out for another year in the major, but what my dad had said to me on that day kept coming back around. At the end of my freshman year, I switched my major to history with a secondary education emphasis. I loved history, that I knew, did I love teaching? I did not know, but I knew this would be a chance to service my community and country.
I continued as an education major and eventually graduated in 2007 with my degree. By the time I graduated, I knew that loved teaching. I discovered during my different experiences in the classroom in college that this was my calling. 9/11 taught me that service is important, but it also taught me that knowledge is power and knowing about the world outside of my little bubble is extremely important. I try to do this with my students in my classes everyday. I want them to be educated citizens who can see the many sides of an issue and are curious about the world they live in.
Subject
The topic of the resource
I continued as an education major and eventually graduated in 2007 with my degree. By the time I graduated, I knew that loved teaching. I discovered during my different experiences in the classroom in college that this was my calling. 9/11 taught me that service is important, but it also taught me that knowledge is power and knowing about the world outside of my little bubble is extremely important. I try to do this with my students in my classes everyday. I want them to be educated citizens who can see the many sides of an issue and are curious about the world they live in.
Date
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9/11/2001
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<a href="http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/education-programs/teacher-advisory-council-2017-2018/">Carly Hill</a>, 34, teacher
Identifier
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9-11-shaped-my-career
Citizenship
College Students
History
New York, New York
September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001
Teachers & Teaching
Vocation
World Trade Center
-
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Betting on Zero
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National Humanities Center Fellows
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Any contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
Description
An account of the resource
This collection includes contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
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Story-Making and the Fault Lines of American Capitalism
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June 9, 2017
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Edward J. Balleisen, professor of history at Duke University
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balleisen-story-making-fault-lines-american-capitalism
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Several weeks ago I had occasion to watch the new documentary, <em>Betting on Zero</em>. This fascinating film presents several interlinked stories, all related to the founding and growth of Herbalife, a multi-level-marketing company that sells nutritional supplements, weight loss concoctions, and the “business opportunity” to distribute these products. Among the narrative threads:</p>
<ul>
<li>the basic business model of this enterprise, which depends on the perpetual recruitment of new salespeople (this task is facilitated by revival-style meetings in which the company’s leading pitchmen and women preach a prosperity ethos, a faith that identification with the company and enthusiastic hard work will generate product sales and recruitment of new sellers, regardless of one’s background);</li>
<li>Herbalife’s subsidiary strategies of sponsoring sports teams and paying for a wide array of celebrity endorsements;</li>
<li>the attractiveness of Herbalife’s prosperity gospel to immigrant communities in the US, and especially Latinos;</li>
<li>increasing suspicions among journalists and some members of the investment community about Herbalife’s business practices, which have struck many who have examined the company closely as akin to a pyramid scheme;</li>
<li>a now five-year-long effort by a prominent hedge fund investor, Bill Ackman, to short Herbalife stock (convinced by intensive research that the company’s pyramid-like dependence on the recruitment of new sales agents doomed it to eventual collapse, Ackman not only bet hundreds of millions of dollars against Herbalife, but orchestrated a series of public attacks on the company’s methods and valuation);</li>
<li>the vigorous defense of Herbalife by its executives, including its longtime CEO Mark Johnson, along with billionaire investor and long-time Ackman nemesis Carl Icahn;</li>
<li>growing opposition to Herbalife by some activists within Latino communities, such as Chicagoan Julie Contreras, along with disgruntled former sales agents who felt they had been ripped off, culminating in public campaigns and lawsuits; and</li>
<li><span>a slew of investigations by regulatory authorities, including a Federal Trade Commission inquiry that led to a 2016 settlement with Herbalife, imposing a $200 million fine on the company and requiring far-reaching reform of its business practices in the US;</span></li>
<li>the extraordinary growth of Herbalife abroad, especially in the gargantuan markets of India and China, which may blunt the impact of the FTC settlement.</li>
</ul>
<p>At issue in <em>Betting on Zero</em> is the primary question of which story about Herbalife would stick, whether with its sales agents, throughout the communities in which it operated, within the financial markets, or in courtrooms and regulatory agencies. What would become the prevalent, even official story about Herbalife’s purposes, practices, and impacts? Was the firm a vehicle for social and economic uplift, a mechanism for individuals with minimal education and social capital to build a proprietary business that would deliver the American dream, even make them wealthy? Or was it an especially cruel confidence game that separated the vast majority of its sellers from initial capital investments, and, even worse, turned them into recruiters who ensnared fellow community members in a losing proposition? This debate has been and remains a hotly contested one.</p>
<p>After watching this cinematic engagement with a contentious recent episode in the annals of American consumer capitalism, I found myself coming back again and again to a single scene. A few years into the battle waged by Bill Ackman, the camera zooms in on Herbalife CEO Mark Johnson as he addresses a sports stadium filled with Herbalife acolytes. Portraying the company as inevitably beset by establishment naysayers out to destroy Herbalife and the avenues of opportunity that it provided, Johnson proclaimed that he and the Herbalife family would fend off its enemies. The multi-level marketing firm, Johnson explained, would always “seize the narrative.” That might mean shining the public spotlight on hardworking, charismatic Herbalifers who had recruited so many other sales agents that they had ascended into the company’s Millionaire Team. Or proclaiming that in the household where Johnson was raised, the abiding parental message stressed the importance of “integrity” to sustain “trust.” Or reframing the motives of a financial operator like Ackman, implying that his short position undercut any arguments or analysis that he might put forward about the company’s mode of operations. Johnson offered a brash forecast of narrative dominance—that Herbalife would identify the narrative high ground, occupy it, and hold it against all comers.</p>
<p>This declaration struck me so forcibly in part because one rarely sees such candor about the role of stories and story-telling in the hurly burly world of American capitalism. Surrounded by insiders, Johnson was willing to pull back the curtain on how corporations approach public relations in the broadest sense—not just through the messages of advertisements and endorsements, but through the wider management of reputation and popular belief.</p>
<p>The comment from Johnson also resonated for me because it encapsulates so much of my own work as a historian of American law, policy, and business culture. For a quarter-century, I’ve been writing about fault-lines in American capitalism, the zones of instability created by an economic system depending on widespread trust in economic counterparties. For much of the 1990s, I focused on the legal, social, economic, and cultural problems posed by business failure in the nineteenth-century—those dislocating moments when the era’s firms could not pay their debts. Since then, I have been wrestling with the American flim-flam man (and woman), chasing after alleged and actual business frauds from the early nineteenth-century to the present, as well as investigating the shifting institutional responses to the problem of marketplace deceptions.</p>
<p>Stories, of course, help to grease the wheels of modern capitalism. Would be entrepreneurs construct them as they seek to persuade friends and relatives, banks, or venture capital firms to supply them with the funds they need to launch businesses. Advertisers dream up fantasies to convince consumers that some good or service truly offers a crucial need or fulfills some deeply felt want. Even without the prompting of some crisis or scandal, corporate public relations departments construct tales about corporate origins and the essential elements of a firm’s business culture, all to foster employees’ identification with their employer and customers’ identification with the firm’s products or services. In recent decades, business executives have spun yarns about their heroic contributions to financial results to justify gargantuan pay packages. For more than a century now, societies have also confronted a host of meta-stories about the workings of capitalism, such as descriptions (or forecasts) of the business cycle’s predictable arc, moving from growth to boom to bust and recession.</p>
<p>Hardly any of this story-making and telling goes uncontested. Savvy investors and lenders do not uncritically embrace the projections of those who seek after capital and credit. In competitive markets, firms challenge each other’s marketing narratives, as do consumer watchdogs and the business press. Labor unions usually offer a very different take on a company’s history and practices from that laid out by management. The same surely goes for social activists and journalistic muckrakers who seek to expose the negative consequences of corporate activity, whether for workers, consumers, or the environment. At least occasionally, stockholders express qualms about the munificence of executive compensation. And even if there is broad consensus about how to describe the business cycle, politicians and pundits hardly have achieved consensus about how much government can or should seek to moderate its swings. These opposing groups usually tell very different stories about the impacts of counter-cyclical monetary and fiscal policy.</p>
<p>The business narratives prompted by moments of failure or alleged deception tend to have an especially great urgency about them. For the proprietors, managers, and operators caught in the eye of a given storm, they involve questions of social standing, legitimacy, legal liability, economic future, even personal honor. They turn on interpretations of personal motivation, as well as understandings of the social norms, cultural values, and legal standards that structure economic exchange. And they have a collective dimension. As individual stories of bankruptcy and fraud multiply in a given era, they draw on prevailing macro-stories with familiar plotlines. As those macro-stories evolve in new circumstances, they can also help to establish reform agendas that seek to reconfigure social norms, cultural values, and legal standards.</p>
<p>To make these rather abstract points more concrete, consider the following primary sources, each involving a determined effort to “seize the narrative” about a specific enterprise facing existential threats.</p>
<p>The first source comes from a New York City bankruptcy case under the 1841 National Bankruptcy Act, the subject of my first book, <em>Navigating Failure: Bankruptcy and Commercial Society in Antebellum America</em> (2001). This short-lived legislation (Congress repealed it in 1843, just thirteen months after it went into operation) gave individuals the chance to petition for a discharge from their debts. Doing so required that petitioners offer a comprehensive list of their assets (most of which they would have to surrender to the federal court where they applied for relief) and their debts (which, if they successfully navigated the legal proceedings, they would no longer have to pay). One can infer a story of failure from this snapshot of property holdings and financial obligations, but such fragmentary evidence poses lots of interpretive challenges. One can of course dig for other relevant evidence about specific paths to insolvency. Occasionally, moreover, petitioners voluntarily offered a fuller account of their troubles as part of their bankruptcy filings. Such moves represented, at least in part, attempts to take out insurance against any counter-stories from creditors, who possessed the right to lodge formal objections to the granting of a bankruptcy discharge, or against eventual misconceptions by lawyers and the judiciary.</p>
<p>The document in question comes from the voluntary <a href="https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/site-dev/wp-content/uploads/pattison-bankruptcy-petition.pdf" title="Pattison bankruptcy petition">bankruptcy petition of Granville Sharpe Pattison</a>, a New York City physician who found himself ensnared in complex and allegedly fraudulent land deals during the “mania” of the mid-1830s. Not content to offer up just a list of assets and debts, Pattison offered a detailed story that placed his insolvency in the context of the general asset craze that took hold in the run-up to the Panic of 1837. Describing himself as “excited by the spirit of speculation,” the doctor recounted his eager purchases of Illinois town lots and stock in a copper mining company on the basis of false claims about their value. Sometimes he paid by liquidating other assets. More frequently, amid the heady atmosphere of boom times, the transactions rested on his mere promises to pay in the future.</p>
<p>Pattison further explained that he could not raise challenge the legality of his debts in court, because the sellers had immediately transferred his obligations to “innocent third parties.” He also assured the court that he had never indulged in any “extravagance, having always lived within his income.”</p>
<p>Most importantly, Pattison insisted that he might have avoided insolvency had he been willing to look out only for himself, since he subsequently sold most of the property “to English capitalists at immense advances.” But once he discovered that the sales rested on outright misrepresentations, he claimed that “he spontaneously cancelled all the contracts of sale ... without having been asked to do so,” despite the fact that doing so left him unable to make good on his own debts. As Pattison described his thinking, he would rather “be a Bankrupt in fortune” than allow “the shadow of a suspicion ... [to] rest on the uprightness and rectitude of his character.” Even the handwriting that produced this self-exoneration told a story of sorts, conveying a firm, clear penmanship that invited trust from readers.</p>
<p>The next two sources come from twentieth-century entrepreneurs who confronted highly publicized allegations of business fraud, each of whom received some attention in my most recent book, <em>Fraud: An American History from Barnum to Madoff</em>. Edward Lewis, a key figure in Chapter Six of <em>Fraud</em>, developed a cluster of businesses from his early twentieth-century base outside Saint Louis, including a subscription magazine that targeted rural women, a mail order bank, and a correspondence university. His legal troubles began with administrative fraud orders that damaged his core businesses and eventually led to criminal mail fraud proceedings. Glenn W. Turner, who makes a cameo appearance in Chapter Ten of <em>Fraud</em>, ran multi-level marketing schemes in the early 1970s that offered self-help literature/records and cosmetics, as well as opportunities to make income through recruitment of sales agents. His businesses attracted civil actions by a slew of state Attorneys General, as well as the Federal Trade Commission.</p>
<p><a href="https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/site-dev/wp-content/uploads/order-number-ten-excerpt.pdf" title="Lewis, Order Number Ten, excerpt"></a> Though separated by more than six decades and pursuing different businesses, the two businessmen adopted similar strategies in the effort to shape public perceptions and deflect allegations off fraudulent behavior. Lewis vigorously defended himself through his magazine, political and journalistic allies, and an eventual book, published in 1911, <em>Order Number Ten: Being Cursory Comments on Some of the Effects of the Great American Fraud Order</em>, which collected a series of editorials from Lewis’s <em>Woman’s Magazine</em>. I include here <a href="https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/site-dev/wp-content/uploads/order-number-ten-excerpt.pdf" title="Lewis, Order Number Ten, excerpt">the text of the fraud order against Lewis</a> that he placed at the beginning of the volume, the publisher’s preface, Lewis’s “Introductory,” one illustration conveying popular skepticism toward new ideas, his “Afterthoughts,” and a hard-sell recruiting plea at the back of the volume for book agents to market a related volume. These excerpts hit many recurring themes in the narratives offered up by alleged fraudsters: the difficulty of distinguishing economic deception from enthusiastic promotion at the forefront of innovation; the tendency of powerful, entrenched interests—in this case, the Post Office—to discredit competitors that threatened their position; and declarations of deep affection for those investors and customers who stood by him despite unjust persecution.</p>
<p><a href="http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/fullsize/glenn-turner-better-your-best-1000.jpg" title="Turner, Better Your Best"></a> Glenn W. Turner similarly expended considerable effort to convince the public that he, in the words of his authorized biographer, was a “saint” rather than a “con man.” I offer here <a href="http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/fullsize/glenn-turner-better-your-best-1000.jpg" title="Turner, Better Your Best">the text from the back cover of Turner’s 1975 promotional album</a>, “Glenn W. Turner SPEAKS OUT: ‘You Can Better Your Best.’” In this concise marketing pitch, Turner put forward a common rendering from American entrepreneurs of all stripes—the remarkable rise from difficult circumstances—as well as the persistent theme of uplift through a mutualistic sharing of opportunity to others who lack advantages.</p>
<p>The authors of these such stories themselves depended deeply on humanistic modes of thought and action. They put forward arguments, evoked sentiments, and sought to influence public opinion and/or official decision-making through personal accounts that drew on widely shared metaphors, tropes, and narrative arcs. For Granville Sharpe Pattison, the voluntary narrative of honorable failure may not have been necessary, since no creditors appeared to challenge his version of events. For both Edward Lewis and Glenn Tucker, tales of innovative striving helped their inveterate investors and customers keep the faith, but lacked punch with officialdom. Each had business empires upended as a result of legal actions; each ended up doing stints in jail as a result of criminal fraud convictions.</p>
<p>We are storytellers and consumers of stories, all of us, and not just in the realm of culture or family or other social relations or politics, but also in our economic and legal lives. The sharpest conflicts within modern capitalism turn in large measure on contending efforts to seize the narrative. Granville Sharpe Pattison, Edward Lewis, Glenn Turner, Michael Johnson, Julie Contreras, Bill Ackman and countless others have crafted stories in order to shape agendas, define the realm of the possible, assign blame or credit, justify or undermine, move themselves and others to action. These endeavors may not accord with all or even most of the relevant facts. They do not always manage to attain the highest narrative ground, nor hold it against all the counter-stories pressing up the slopes of our collective culture. But they reflect our essential nature as story-making, story-telling, and story-craving beings, who inevitably construct narratives to render our world intelligible.</p>
<p>This basic humanistic insight is crucial for clear-eyed understandings of how modern societies have handled thorny problems such as bankruptcy or business fraud. Indeed, this insight is crucial for making sense of wider questions about how modern capitalism works, who enjoys the fruits of its bounty, who has to bear its risks and costs, and how its mechanics and outcomes accord with our sense of justice.</p>
<p>Recognition of this essential perspective also can make us savvier consumers and investors, more thoughtful workers, professionals, managers, owners, and retirees, and more deliberative citizens. If we understand the ubiquity and power of stories in the economic realm, we will be better armed to identify them, to evaluate their basis in fact, and to appreciate their emotional pull. And that level of understanding can only help us as we navigate the complexities of a capitalist society.</p>
<p>For those interested in additional reading about story-making and its impact on how we make sense of the history of economic life (and the past, present, and future more generally), see:</p>
<ul>
<li>William Cronon, “<a href="http://www.williamcronon.net/writing/cronon_place_for_stories_1991.pdf">A Place for Stories: Nature, History, and Narrative</a>,” <i>Journal of American History </i> 78 (1992): 1347-76.</li>
<li>Per Hansen, “<a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/572609/pdf">From Finance Capitalism to Financialization: A Cultural and Narrative Perspective on 150 Years of Financial History</a>,” <i>Enterprise & Society</i> 15 (2014): 605-42.</li>
<li>Frederick Mayer, <i><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/narrative-politics-9780199324460?cc=us&lang=en&">Narrative Politics: Stories and Collective Action</a></i> (New York, 2014).</li>
</ul>
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<em>Betting on Zero</em>
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Ted Braun
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This documentary film prompted historian Edward Balleisen to reflect on the powerful and protean role of storytelling in the American imagination, specifically in the realm of modern capitalism. An appreciation of the humanities may provide us with a deeper understanding of the shape-shifting role that stories play in the economic realm. This understanding, in turn, may serve as a compass as we, in Balleisen’s words, “navigate” the world around us.
American Dream
Balleisen, Edward J.
Betting on Zero
Braun, Ted
Capitalism
Documentary Films
Film
Fraud
Fraud: An American History from Barnum to Madoff
History
Multilevel Marketing
Professors
Storytelling
-
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Upton Sinclair's The Jungle
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Kluge Scholars
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Humanities Moments contributions from scholars at the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress
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kluge-scholars
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<em>The Jungle</em>: Personalizing the Historical Struggle of Workers
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Sinclair famously quipped that he “aimed for the public’s heart” but accidentally “hit it in the stomach.” His novel hit Shedd in both places. <em>The Jungle</em> personalized the hopes and struggles of those living in the era that she would eventually study as a modern U.S. historian. Sinclair’s story prompted her to seek answers to questions: How did this novel prompt policy change? How did it capture the struggles of historical actors and immigrants in the early 20th century? What other novels did Sinclair write? What institutional structures need reform in order to be more just?
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<span><span>An early encounter with muckraking American novelist Upton Sinclair’s </span><em>The Jungle </em><span>exposed Kristen Shedd to issues surrounding human rights and animal rights in the early 20</span><span>th</span><span> century. For Shedd, the 1906 novel exposed the intersections of fiction, policy, history, and social justice. Sinclair’s story prompted her to seek answers to questions: How did this novel prompt policy change? How did it capture the struggles of historical actors and immigrants in the early 20th century? What other novels did Sinclair write? What institutional structures need reform in order to be more just?</span></span>
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Kristen Shedd, Fullerton College & The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress
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shedd-jungle-personalizing-history
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<em>The Jungle</em> by Upton Sinclair
Animal Rights
Books & Reading
Boston (1928 novel)
Emigration & Immigration
History
Human Rights
Kluge Scholars
Literature
Muckraking (Journalism)
Policy
Professors
Sacco-Vanzetti Trial
Sinclair, Upton
Social Justice
The Jungle
-
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Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities
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Kluge Scholars
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Humanities Moments contributions from scholars at the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress
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kluge-scholars
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History, (Re)imagined
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This encounter with Anderson’s scholarship inspired Knirim to reevaluate the meaning of truth, “proof,” and imagination in the study of history. In the absence of time machines, imagination—combined with rigorous scholarship, of course—can enable us to travel to certain moments in the past. Or at least come closer to the past than we were before.
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Benedict Anderson’s <em>Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism</em> compelled Alexander Knirim, then a young historian, to re-think the role of imagination in history. Knirim recounts how his original misunderstanding, that we can reconstruct historic truth, was challenged by Anderson’s book and evolved into an appreciation of Anderson’s exegesis.
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Alexander Knirim, Bayreuth University & The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress
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knirim-history-reimagined
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<em>Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism</em> by Benedict Anderson
Anderson, Benedict
Books & Reading
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History
Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism
Professors
-
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Harriet Beecher Stowe, c. 1852
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The Second Shelf and Beyond
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In elementary school, Kathryn Hill itched to move beyond the first shelf of the library books. When she finally reached the second shelf, a new world awaited her: biographies of historical figures. The lives of women such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, and Dorothea Dix led her to understand that history was all about stories. She realized that her own life “needed to be about something”—and that it could be.
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Kathryn Hill, President, The Levine Museum of the New South
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kathryn-hill-second-shelf
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Biographies of historical figures such as Harriet Tubman and Dorothea Dix
Biography
Blackwell, Elizabeth
Books & Reading
Dix, Dorothea
History
Libraries
Pitcher, Molly
School Libraries
Storytelling
Stowe, Harriet Beecher
Tubman, Harriet
U.S. History
Women's History
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http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/5/146/Hawaii_Filipino_Welcome_Philippine_Navy_Capt.jpg
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The Hawaiian Filipino community welcomes a Philippine navy captain
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California Humanities: “We Are the Humanities”
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To celebrate its 40th anniversary, California Humanities invited a group of 40 prominent Californians to share what the humanities meant to them, helped shape their lives and their understanding of the world. The complete archive of these recollections is available at http://calhum.org/about/we-are-the-humanities.
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california-humanities
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The Currency of Emotional Intelligence
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<p>Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye is the 28th Chief Justice of the State of California. She recalls her experiences as a student in a humanities class in college, her upbringing in a Filipino community of hardworking women eager to pass on their traditions, and her realization that the humanities teach us to celebrate and respect the stories and uniqueness of people.</p>
<p>To celebrate its 40th year anniversary of grant making, programming, and partnerships that connect Californians to each other, California Humanities invited a group of 40 prominent Californians to explore what the humanities mean to them. For more information visit <a title="California Humanities: We Are the Humanities" href="http://calhum.org/about/we-are-the-humanities" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">California Humanities: We Are the Humanities</a>.</p>
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Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye, 28th Chief Justice of the State of California
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tani-gorre-cantil-sakauye
Community Colleges
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Families
Filipino Americans
History
Justices
Oral Tradition
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“Hamilton, an American Musical”
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National Humanities Center Board Members
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This collection includes contributions from the distinguished board of trustees of the National Humanities Center
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<em>Hamilton</em> and the Performance of Poetry
Description
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<p>Thomas Scherer describes two related encounters which speak to the power of hearing poetry performed aloud. The first is an explanatory talk and poetry reading by the great literary scholar M. H. Abrams at the National Humanities Center; the second is hearing Lin-Manuel Miranda discuss his award-winning rap musical, <em>Hamilton</em>.</p>
<p>Across generations, cultural divides, venues, and artistic voices, the power of lyric poetry to capture and convey powerful feeling is undeniable. And when poetry is performed and embodied, “brought to life” if you will, its capacity to create change is palpable.</p>
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M. H. Abrams, Lin-Manuel Miranda
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Thomas Scherer, Consultant, Spencer Capital Holdings
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thomas-scherer-abrams-hamilton-poetry
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Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical <em>Hamilton</em>; M.H. Abrams' <em>The Mirror and the Lamp</em>
Abrams, M.H.
Chernow, Ron
Drama
Hamilton, Alexander
Hamilton: An American Musical
Hip-Hop
History
Literature
Miranda, Lin-Manuel
Music
New York, New York
Performing Arts
Poetry
Politics
Popular Culture
Storytelling
The Mirror and the Lamp
United States History
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b0612c4055e06e499df670c75137abda
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Madonna
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National Humanities Center Fellows
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Any contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
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This collection includes contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
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<p>My name is Caroline Jones and I’m a professor of art history at a technical university known as MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I’ve really enjoyed my time at the National Humanities Center because it’s given me an opportunity to think about the humanities, which I don’t always get every day at MIT.</p>
<p>I think for me, a really powerful moment in my thinking about the humanities came when I began my teaching career. I was just a lowly TA and we had a course on the books that was essentially a kind of art appreciation class, and people from the West, from America, might have seen this as a bit of a finishing school or something like that. But one of my students, who was not from this background, said, “Okay, I get all this stuff about the Madonna, but what’s that plate behind her head?”</p>
<p>I realized, in a kind of shimmering cascade, that my cultural upbringing had closed off for me some very deep questions in the humanities that could only be answered by history, by a study of religion, by a question of, where <em>does</em> that plate come from behind the Madonna’s head? What is the mandorla? What is the halo? How much of this is coming from the East? What does it bring with it as a kind of iconography? So the humanities, for me, are a dialogue with all that we have taken for granted, and a way of opening that up to renewed inquiry and a kind of wonder.</p>
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Madonna’s Mandorla
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While acting as a teaching assistant for a large art appreciation course, Caroline Jones witnessed a student’s curiosity about a painting of the Madonna. Such symbols, so pervasive and recognizable in Western culture, she realized, are not as simple and self-contained as they may seem to some of us. The experience helped her to see that even familiar objects are best considered through multiple frames, and that all parts of the humanities—including art history, religion, and history—are made more robust when put into a dialogue with one another.
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madonnas-mandorla
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<a href="https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/meet-the-fellows/caroline-a-jones/">Caroline A. Jones</a>, professor of art history at MIT
Art History
Cultural Exchange
History
Madonna
Professors
Religion
Symbolism
Teachers & Teaching
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fb8e367832a7d7212a36b96bd05873bc
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Paris café
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mimili271
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Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/en/paris-cafe-road-france-2971589/
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National Humanities Center Fellows
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Any contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
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This collection includes contributions from current or past fellows at the National Humanities Center
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Hi, I’m Peter Galison, I’m a professor at Harvard University and a Fellow at the National Humanities Center this semester. I’m interested in a combination—odd as it sounds—of filmmaking, physics, and the history of science.
<p>A moment that really was hugely affecting for me in the humanities was seeing an old film, that was filmed in the summer of 1960, called <em>Chronicle of a Summer</em>. It was a French film made by a collaboration between a sociologist/philosopher, Edgar Morin, and a great filmmaker, might be called an anthropological filmmaker, Jean Rouch.</p>
<p>They combined to make this film in a moment just when it was possible to have portable sound-taking. They went onto the street and they asked people everything from, “Are you happy?” or “What are you doing?” In the course of what people say, you see a France that goes back even before the war, of horse-drawn carriages, but also cars. You meet a woman who had survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, lost her father there, and was now trying to navigate this post-war world. But 1960 is also the cusp of this opening up to another world of France. In a sense you see the beginnings of the unrest, the uneasiness with the received order of things, that culminates in May ’68 and the explosion of the student and worker revolt of that period.</p>
<p>For me, this film had a huge effect because it seemed to me to capture, in a moment in specificity, some really deep understanding of this transition point between the old order and the new order. It showed me that film could do something, a documentary film of a certain type—a certain exploratory, innovative type—could push beyond what text alone could do. I think, for me, the idea which I keep trying to figure out, is how do visual sources—especially the filmmaking that I’m doing and writing—combine to produce something whole that each part can’t quite do on its own.</p>
<p>With each bit of understanding, as people push what can be done with text, or text plus still images, or with film in innovative ways, I find it enriching and exciting and it opens up new possibilities for how I think about the kinds of problems that I want to work on. For me, the humanities at its best can do that, can take something specific and open up a world from it.</p>
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Chronicling a Summer in Cinéma Vérité
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For Peter Galison, an influential moment was seeing a film made in 1961 by an anthropologist and a sociologist, featuring a series of estival interviews with people on the sidewalks of France. With its innovations in sound technology, <em>Chronicle of a Summer</em> opened Galison’s eyes to the possibilities of documentary film. The film illuminated the interplay between image and text, revealing how the humanities can “open up a world.”
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<a href="https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/meet-the-fellows/peter-galison/">Peter Galison</a>, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor in History of Science and Physics at Harvard University
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peter-galison-chronicling-a-summer-in-cinema-verite
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<em>Chronicle of a Summer (Chronique d'un été)</em>
Anthropology
Chronicle of a Summer (Chronique d'un été)
Cinema Vérité
Cultural History
Documentary Films
Film
History
Morin, Edgar
Professors
Rouch, Jean
Sociology
-
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a314bf7aadbb4c6de48a46932e69d634
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Barbados Statue
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barbados-statue
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Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute
Description
An account of the resource
A week-long experiential professional development experience for teachers taking place during June 2018 in Barbados
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Andy Mink
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Kristen Fallon, 25, English Teacher
Date
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June 2018
Description
An account of the resource
Before travelling to the George Washington House in Bridgetown, Barbados, I thought what most Americans think about George Washington: he was a strong, moral, and noble leader who is the epitome of what it means to be a patriot and an American. While visiting his former home in Barbados, where he lived for two months in 1751, I realized how important the movement--both voluntary and involuntary--of people to this island shapes the nation’s and region’s history with one of the darkest conceptions of all time.
At the George Washington House, many exhibits and tour excerpts discussed how Washington, nineteen years old at the time, moved to Barbados partly to find a more comfortable living environment for his ailing brother. However, Washington was also looking for a way to rise above his modest status in society. Washington had ambitions of belonging to the social elite and used his time in Barbados to network and learn ways in which he could improve his status socially and financially. While the tour was informative and did well to address Washington’s successes and personal character (the quality of which is often praised in history books and popular culture), the tour and museum both failed to address the issue of slavery and its role during Washington’s time in the island.
Agriculture was a money-making machine in the eighteenth century, and Washington inherited and maintained arable land in both Barbados and Virginia. The result of this was an increase in social and financial standing, the dream he had been working to fulfill. But he did not accomplish this on his own. Washington’s financial growth, his beautiful plantation house, and his rise as a member of the social elite are all directly linked to the enslaved persons who labored over his fields. And Washington was not alone in this, neither in the Colonies or island nations like Barbados. Hundreds of plantations owners across the new world relied on enslaved labor to produce. As a result, millions of enslaved Africans were bought and sold to be overworked, tortured, and killed.
While I was at the George Washington house, I saw a small display about the use of enslaved labor on the plantation. The display’s artifacts consisted mostly of informational readings, but it also had a set of mannequin’s representing an enslaved man and child as well as a display case of chains, shackles, and tools for punishment. By the time I reached this small corner of the exhibit, I had been observing and exploring the property for nearly two hours. This was the first reference I saw that discussed the use of enslaved people on the plantation. Based on other historical records, we know that the plantation economy of the Colonies and Barbados were dependent on slave labor, so I couldn't help but wonder why there was no mention or recognition that this household’s status and legacy is based almost entirely on one of the darkest institutions humanity has ever created.
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George Washington and the Movement of Enslaved Persons to Barbados
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george-washington-and-the-movement-of-enslaved-persons-to-barbados
Barbados
Colonialism
History
Slavery
Teachers & Teaching
Washington, George
-
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Fishing Net
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Pixabay
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fishing-net
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Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute
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An account of the resource
A week-long experiential professional development experience for teachers taking place during June 2018 in Barbados
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Andy Mink
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Frances Coffey, High School Teacher
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6-19-18
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This mid-20th century oil painting, titled “Fishermen Mending Nets” by the artist Charles Poyer, depicts an elderly man repairing fishing nets by hand with tools located in a basket. The young boy watches with intrigue and appears ready to learn. This customary activity is occurring by the beach, imparting a sense of calm and peace to the painting.
As a social studies teacher traveling in Barbados, I was struck by the complicated relationship Barbadians have with their history. One of our tour guides stated that Bardadians “don’t value our built environment and history as much as they should.” School children, she explained, are required to take few history classes. Plantation tour guides also noted the difficulty in discussing race relations and the challenge of presenting the horrors of slavery with the island’s current image as a sunny, carefree tourist destination. In fact, this painting can be viewed as a microcosm for the representation of race on the island. Many emancipated slaves turned to fishing to escape working on sugar cane plantations. Yet the artist Charles Poyer decided not to depict a black man sharing fishing skills with a black boy, but rather a white man and white boy. This painting raises interesting questions about the transmission of knowledge and race on an island dominated by people of African ancestry.
Despite reluctance and challenges in presenting a nuanced narrative of the island’s history, Barbadians still have pride in their country’s culture. Fishing in Barbados is viewed as a sign of self-sufficiency and an integral part of their identity. The man in the painting is not only imparting a specific skill set to the boy, but also sharing values like the importance of thrift and hard work. Today fishing towns like Oistins deck their street with neon images of fish and locals urge tourists to try the national dish of flying fish and cou cou. Their pride in this dish shows their reverence for the island’s African ancestry, as cou cou was a common meal for slaves. Other important places like Independence Arch in Bridgetown feature the flying fish on its pillars. Thus, fish continue to be embedded in the art and cultural landscape of the island, and remains integral to the country’s identity.
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Fish and Place in Barbados
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fish-and-place-in-barbados
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The oil painting <em>Fishermen Mending Nets</em> by Charles Poyer
Barbados
Culture
Fishing
History
Paintings
Poyer, Charles
Race
Slavery
Teachers & Teaching
-
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Archives
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archives
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Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute
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An account of the resource
A week-long experiential professional development experience for teachers taking place during June 2018 in Barbados
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Andy Mink
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Lisa Roop Belcher
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June 21, 2018
Description
An account of the resource
The title of my moment comes from a quote on page 55 of Watson and Potter's book, Low-Cost Housing in Barbados: Evolution or Social Revolution?
My humanities moment occurred in the Bajan archives while being able to view the original document that freed the enslaved people of the island. I simply sat down in the corner of the room and cried. I felt moved to share this discovery with my son. Although we are privileged to be removed from this kind of historical trauma, it was an important experience to consider its effects on the lives of real people. Knowing how hard it is to come into such documents in our country, understanding the importance of this document and being thankful that my child understands to a degree how significant this experience will forever be for me both humbled and overwhelmed me.
Due to geographic constraints, the option to flee beyond the island’s borders even after emancipation was practically impossible. It even seemed as if their freedom was merely symbolic due to the chattel system which allowed the once-enslaved persons to build small homes on the land of their former imprisoners for labor. The idea of freedom was born on that day. However, much like in so many parts of the world where there is still a struggle between the races and the haves/have nots, personal freedom was still not existent for these people. They still had to be very cognizant of all of their actions to ensure food and shelter for their families. Fear of having to move their home or simply not having a place to move their home helped perpetuate the system of a white dominated society for many more years past the initial emancipation.
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“Personal freedom was therefore not existent.”
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Low-Cost Housing in Barbados: Evolution or Social Revolution?
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personal-freedom-was-therefore-not-existent
Barbados
Emancipation Act of 1834 (Barbados)
History
Low-Cost Housing in Barbados: Evolution or Social Revolution?
Potter, Robert
Slavery
Watson, Mark
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/190/barbados_flag.png
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Barbados flag
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barbados-flag
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Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute
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An account of the resource
A week-long experiential professional development experience for teachers taking place during June 2018 in Barbados
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Andy Mink
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Elizabeth Mulcahy, Social Studies Teacher
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June 18, 2018
Description
An account of the resource
Standing on Chamberlain Bridge and looking at Independence Arch, I began reading the Barbadian Pledge. Instantly my brain goes to each school morning when students stand and say the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. Both symbolize a promise of loyalty to a nation represented by a flag, but why do humans feel the need to align to a specific political entity and profess this allegiance to others? I have come to the conclusion that it is a mixture of pride, identity, and competition. Barbados and the United States achieved independence from Great Britain, and the pledge shows the pride in being a separate nation. It was a way for citizens to define themselves different from the previous identity connected to Europe. Even though neither pledge was written or established in the immediate time after independence, both wanted to create an identity that links the people of their nation within a very connected world.
Humans are also innately competitive, and whenever there is a competition one team/nation links themselves to symbols. Both the flag design and pledge of Barbados were even created as part of competitions. Pride and identity represented in the pledge and flag carry over to the numerous international competitions such as the Olympics and the World Cup. The emotion seen at sporting events of the 21st century are intense. Some may see this competition as divisive among people, but I feel the pride for a nation shown through say the pledge or waving a flag as a human trait carried throughout the world. There is disagreement over when to say a pledge or if a person should say the pledge at all, but this belief in choosing an identity to be proud of is one shared by humankind.
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The Pledge of Barbados
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the-pledge-of-barbados
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The Pledge of Barbados
Barbados
Chamberlain Bridge
Citizenship
Colonialism
History
Nationalism
Teachers & Teaching
-
http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/12/191/Emancipation_Barbados.jpeg
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Emancipation Act Barbados
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emancipation-act-barbados
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Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute
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An account of the resource
A week-long experiential professional development experience for teachers taking place during June 2018 in Barbados
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Andy Mink
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Chris Cantone, 24, US History and World History I teacher at Albemarle High School in Albemarle County, Virginia
Date
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June 2018
Description
An account of the resource
“To be honest, I’m glad my family didn’t go to America. We ended slavery 30 years earlier. What were YOU guys thinking?”
Our Bajan tour guide of St. Nicholas Abbey told us this as we walked through the sugarcane plantation house. She chuckled, and we along with her, albeit awkwardly. She was right, too; the day before, our research group got to actually leaf through the Emancipation Act of 1834, the physical document that started the process of freedom in Barbados. THE original document! We all casually crowded around the pages and touched them with are bare hands. Compare that with the Declaration of Independence, which literally had a whole movie made about how impossible it would be to steal that document.
The concepts of freedom and liberation are remarkable, almost overwhelming to think about. As such I, along with many others, anchor these to our own experiences. I interact with freedom and liberation in an uniquely American way; I talk about the First Amendment with my US History students, and we discuss the Emancipation Proclamation as a seminal moment in the American story. However, sometimes this lens leads me to think that freedom itself is uniquely American. When I hear the word freedom, and mind immediately jumps to the Stars and Stripes. This, of course, is ridiculous. We didn’t invent freedom; in fact, we were pretty late to the party.
The communities we grew up in shape our worldview. Often, they give us a nearsightedness with regards to monumental events and processes. There are freedom stories from all over the world; it is our job, as global citizens, to learn and grow from them. Therefore, we can better understand and appreciate how each of our communities’ narratives fits within a far greater, and far richer, story.
Title
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The Emancipation Act of 1834 and our Shared Freedom Story
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the-emancipation-act-of-1834-and-our-shared-freedom-story
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The Emancipation Act of 1834
Barbados
Emancipation Act of 1834 (Barbados)
Emancipation Proclamation (United States)
History
Liberation
Slavery
Teachers & Teaching
U.S. History
-
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Barbados Museum
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barbados-museum
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Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute
Description
An account of the resource
A week-long experiential professional development experience for teachers taking place during June 2018 in Barbados
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Andy Mink
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John Skelton, 30, Teacher, Virginia
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
June 2018
Description
An account of the resource
The Barbados Museum and Historical Society is located in a former military prison. Its original purpose of control through force and containment is clear and obvious when I entered the present-day museum. Cannons flank the entrance, a symbol of calculated and brutal violence. The façade is imposing, an intimidating tall arch way designed not to invite but to deter entrance. However, today it is a place of education, a site of liberation for the thousands of stories of people and events in the island’s past. That past for Barbados is incredibly complex. Built on coldly calculated and horrific brutality of agricultural production and subsequent cultural diffusion, the island today grapples with economic, political, and social successes, challenges, and the myriad of geographic factors that influence their narrative to the present day.
Education is critical to Barbadians history and culture. Education was restricted from enslaved Africans, planters viewing an education as catalyst for rebellion. Upon becoming a sovereign nation, Barbados made a social and political commitment to education. Across the island, the pride and commitment to education is obvious. It is the theme that many social-historians touch on as a key marker for its rise in development relative to other island countries that make up the Caribbean. Barbadian planters feared the liberating force of education, Barbadians themselves intertwined economic and political independence with education, and today, many Barbadians put high value on education’s ability to promote the freedom of job opportunity and prosperity on or outside of the island.
This literal former prison’s repurposing into a historic museum was itself a catalyst to understanding Barbados, but also the challenge of the humanities as people grapple with their own past, present, and the connections between them. As people, we look to past individuals and stories and attempt to reutilize or repurpose them to educate, improve, or respond to contemporary and future challenges. This museum, and its reutilization of the prison as a place of confinement to that of freedom is symbolic of that process. Barbados’ past is brutal and complex and, rather than imprisoning that narrative, we must learn and use those real and human truths to promote a better future.
Title
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The Liberation of Our Past
Identifier
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the-liberation-of-our-past
Architecture
Barbados
Education
Geography
History
Museums
Prisons
Teachers & Teaching
Violence
-
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Bussa Rebellion Banner
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bussa-rebellion-banner
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Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute
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An account of the resource
A week-long experiential professional development experience for teachers taking place during June 2018 in Barbados
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Andrew Mink of the National Humanities Center
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Emily Longenecker, 34, High School Teacher, Virginia
Description
An account of the resource
I visited Barbados on a teacher professional development trip in 2018. My assigned research topic for the trip was Bussa’s 1816 slave rebellion. Within three days in April of that year, the rebellion had spread to most of the southern half of the island.
Slavery in Barbados was addressed in a limited way by tour guides and historians on the island. There were not accounts from the slaves to detail their life experience. During this trip, I viewed the rebellion as evidence that slaves were not satisfied with the conditions of their lives and wanted their freedom. In a roundabout on one of the highways in the country, there stands a statue of Bussa- hands raised, fists clenched, chains broken. However, there is no diary entry from Bussa, just accounts from the British of the importance of putting down the rebellion. We can only make assumptions about Bussa’s objectives, but we are missing his words.
In an account written in a private letter on Tuesday, April 16th, the slaves were described as carrying “an extraordinary emblematic flag.” British sketches of the flag, now housed in the National Archives in London, are the only record of the goals of the slaves. They were striving for the freedoms that had been denied to them. They wanted to marry and have access to the privileges of the planters. But they did not want to overthrow the British Crown. They wanted to be British citizens.
This flag is the voice of Bussa and his followers. Slaves were often kept illiterate in order to limit their access to the tools and ideas to agitate for freedom. In this way, their voices are lost. Without those voices, it is possible for historians and individuals to imagine what slaves would have thought or said. But those imaginations do not allow for the complexity of human thought and experience. We are missing these people and we will never truly know their lives. It is unique to have evidence of what Bussa really thought. It contributes to the recognition and understanding of the humanity of Bussa and his followers.
Title
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"An extraordinary emblematic flag"
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an-extraordinary-emblematic-flag
Barbados
Bussa's Rebellion (1816)
History
Memory
Slavery
Teachers & Teaching