American History Museum, Washington, D.C.

 

Lincoln's Top Hat

We’ve been to the American History Museum numerous times and did repeat two sections: the American Presidency and the First Ladies. The first Ladies primarily displays their gown from Dolly Madison to the present day. The display on the Presidents enumerated their varied roles as a political leader, a commander in chief, an ambassador of the American people, and a Head of State. 

Table built in 1868 by a German Immigrant

The most interesting exhibit was Many Voices, One Nation, reminding us of how America has incorporated people from many places over time. We started as a unification of English, French, Spanish, and Dutch colonists each with their own traditions. Then we became the place where Europeans immigrated to being a new life. The Louisiana Purchase and the buying of Alaska incorporated peoples with differing cultures. We also fought the Mexican War and Spanish-American War to incorporate areas like: Puerto Rico, California, and most of the Southwest, and over time became responsible for places like Hawaii and other South Pacific islands. It was a thought-provoking exhibit. There were other exhibits about inventions, and wars, we only viewed at most a third of the building.

Automation of a Friar from mid-1500s

We crossed the Mall to see the exhibit on Futures, an exhibit to celebrate the 175^th Anniversary of the Smithsonian. It encouraged visitors to think about what kind of future they might like and what they could do to bring it about. The exhibits tended to focus on three things: how artificial intelligence can accelerate our ability to solve problems, how many new transportation options we will have in the future (hyperloop, people carrying drones, space exploration), and finally the potentials of DNA manipulation for the benefit of mankind and the world.

Hyperloop People Mover