Opinion

Bringing history to life

Chris Ullman Communications Professional
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“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Thomas Jefferson penned these words, perhaps the most famous and important in American history, 237 years ago in the Declaration of Independence, itself a sacred parchment without peer.

Those words rallied a nation to revolutionary arms and created a framework for the achievement and preservation of freedom that stands as one of the brightest beacons in the course of human history.

But to many Americans, history is an afterthought. Past may be prologue, but for too many people, especially our youth, past is simply boring.

In a 2010 survey conducted as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, most fourth graders couldn’t say why Abraham Lincoln was a big deal, and only 2 percent of 12th graders could identify the problem the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling was meant to correct. Overall, less than one-quarter of fourth, eighth and 12th grade students tested on U.S. history scored at or above a level deemed proficient.

This fundamental lack of knowledge of our nation’s history is discouraging and dangerous. Understanding at least the basic outlines of our unique and inspiring past is critical to informing and sustaining a vibrant and engaged citizenry.

And yet, I am encouraged by the work of important organizations based in the Washington, D.C., area, including the National Archives, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Each of these great institutions is working tirelessly to preserve our history while imbuing it with life and relevance for a 21st-century people.

While we live in an ephemeral digital world, where e-mails and text messages are convenient but impersonal, there’s something comforting about paper you can read or bricks and mortar you can touch. I occasionally visit the National Archives just up the street from my D.C. office. In the summer months the entry line often stretches around the building. I am heartened to see thousands of grade schoolers, college students and parents brave the D.C. heat to glimpse the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

To stand within inches of the documents that created our great democracy, and to glimpse the 716-year-old Magna Carta, a precursor to our charters of freedom — is a humbling and grounding experience. The documents are real … a war was fought … blood was shed … our rights and privileges were secured … a journey toward a more perfect union was begun. You can’t get that feeling or experience from a text book or lecture.

I recently toured Monticello, a wonderful testament to our third president’s vision and genius. Seeing up close his inspired inventions, imagining him walk through the front door with his strong jaw beneath red hair on a tall frame or perusing the titles of books on his shelves knowing they helped shape a peerless mind — this is what brings our history alive and makes it exciting and interesting today.

On a springtime visit to the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center in suburban Virginia, I stood within feet of the Enola Gay, which dropped the first of only two atomic bombs used by man against man. As the docent recounted the secrecy that enshrouded the Manhattan Project and the technical challenges facing scientists and pilots alike, that penultimate World War II mission came alive, illuminating the moral challenges President Truman faced and the coincident human devastation and jubilation.

These documents, historic sites and physical treasures are living, breathing U.S. history. As a resident of the D.C. area, I am blessed to have them within easy reach, fueling my desire to learn more. And throughout America there are thousands of public and private museums and historical sites capturing and sharing local and national history.

While the classroom will always be at the core of pedagogy, experiential learning must take on an increasingly large role in our plugged-in world where attention spans grow shorter with every new iGizmo. Simply put, history can’t come alive if it is locked away in classrooms and out of sight. We, especially children, need to touch it, hear it, spend time with it — that’s how we foster wonder and awe.

What’s needed is more philanthropy to these and other worthy organizations with experiential history and education at the core of their mandate. Giving money is helpful, but giving time and ideas is just as important. The word philanthropy comes from the ancient Greek, meaning love of humanity. As citizens we are each called to be philanthropists, to share our time, talent and treasure with the nation that continues to give so much to us.

By embracing this duty, we honor those who came before us while serving the needs of the present and fulfilling our obligation to the future. Jefferson himself captured the mandate perfectly when he wrote: “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. … They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”

Chris Ullman is a communications professional based in Washington, D.C.

Chris Ullman