Judy Ortiz
Museum Assignment
2
My impression
about the New York Historical Museum was very confusing. Despite of that the
exposition was organized and well designed. I felt that the message was in
certain level ironic. The first artifact that caught my attention and made me
felt confused was Objects of Liberty 1942 because the representations of liberty
were handcuffs. However, as soon as, I started walking around the museum, my
impression was that the museum was designed for tourists and for specific part
of Americans because the story of the exposition missed important fragments of
history. I do not want to be misunderstood or hurt some feelings but I do not
think that the museum is designed for all Americans. Although I want to give
some credits to the exposition. The exposition was very organized and used
technology in different ways to catch the public’s attention. The recreation of
New York City in the 40s was interesting and romantic. My perception about the
museum’s message was to promote war and describe how positive and productive
the WWII was in those days. The artifacts described how technology play
important role in the war’s victory, for example, The Manhattan Project, that
was designed between Columbia University scientists and Albert Einstein
collaboration. Some of those scientists were refugees from Nazism and Fascism. This
project product was the world’s first atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Additionally, with the technologic advances,
the exposition described how proud were New Yorkers and how they enjoyed
parades and gave soldiers emotional support. “In 1942 Macys canceled its thanksgiving
day parade donating its balloons…2,500.000 people lined Fifth Avenue”. I
think this manifestation was very humble from Macys, but I do not know what
kind of impression tried to give the museum because it showed only children in
the parade with poster of “Down with the Japs Rats”. I thought “this is kind of
ironic”, but I did not want to judge and I continued with my trip. I saw more striking
artifacts as Latin Quarter free for men in uniform, George Jone) 1923 U.S. Army, and
Jacob Lawrence U.S. Coast Guard (Africans Americans soldiers). These
artifacts expressed the benefits of the WWII. Jacob Lawrence said “Very
fortunate all through that war period” because he was segregate but thanks to
the war he was considered equal. Additionally, with the benefits of free sex
for solders and desegregation, the war gave the job equally for black men and
women, and also the opportunity of gays to be around men without social’s prejudices “There’s a closeness and
an understanding I think only being together that away constantly at the very
abyss of your life, can create that”. The exposition’s message to viewers was “WWII
was the unification of the nation”, and many of them felt proud of the war and
his results. They wrote beautiful comments at the end of the exposition in a
book “Write to Us” that is designed for those who have beautiful thoughts
about the museum message.
I do not want to point those who designed the exposition
or hurt feelings. I am very respectful about others point of view, but I think
that the museum was not designed for me.
My intention is not underestimate the “productivity and the benefits” of
the war, but I am not agree with the exposition and the way that it was
designed. I do not feel that the
Manhattan project was an important technologic advance because it was the product
of 90.000 to 166.000 deaths in Hiroshima and 60.000 to 80.000 in Nagasaki. Most
of them were civilians that died through burns, radiation, and sickness. I understand that people died in a war, but a
soldier is not same than a civilian. Most of women, children and men that died
in Japan were not involve in the war. They
were just the victims of the system. On the other hand, I am agree that African
Americans, women and homosexuals have the right of being part of the society
because we are equal not only in this country, we are equal universally, but I
am not sure if the WWII gave them all of those benefits that the exposition
described because it is contradictory that African American were able to donate
blood, but it had to be processed apart. Also African Americans and women were
able to vote in 1964 and the civil rights act was signed in 1957. Civil rights
act and voting rights were not product of the war, they were achieved as a
result of civil rights movement. Moreover, the gay community is still fighting
for their rights.
