Let’s pretend that the President of the United States has decided that the Smithsonian will create a large United States History Museum consisting of two parts – A Hall of Fame and a Hall of Shame. This imaginary president was quoted as saying, “the President recognizes that our history is not black and white, cut and dry, but nuanced, messy, and contradicting in many places. When we look at our past, we cannot overlook the good or the bad of people, events, or ideas. They are a package, and therefore, so is the Hall of Fame packaged with the Hall of Shame. Together, their goals are to set the record straight about historical actors, events, and ideas, while simultaneously creating a space where we can celebrate and condemn parts of our history.” Your job, as a budding historian, is to add to this Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame. You will do the research and background work for the museum by researching our past and detailing it for those that come to the museum.
