With the current diminishing attention span and knowledge of history by the general public, one of the driving forces in getting any "history" message and building interest these days is a hit film. I was hoping that "The New World" would be a better film (or at least do better at the box office). It would have been a terrific pr/marketing tool for the 2007 celebration. Even Disney's "Pocahontas" was a helpful bit of pop culture to spark interest in Virginia history. That's the world we live in. -Melinda -- Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods 1307-A East Cary Street Richmond, VA 23219 (804) 422-2148 A.C.O.R.N. - Growing a mighty city! -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: qvarizona <[log in to unmask]> > Jon, > > You are absolutely correct in pointing out the changes from event-driven to > people-driven history and other differences in how people perceive things in > today's world. > > I suspect that one change that makes it difficult for those attempting to > put together anniversary celebrations that appeal to the general public, is the > public's lack of knowledge about both the historical event and the people > involved. > > A recent report published in Arizona claimed that beginning in K-12 and > continuing through college, history --particularly U.S. history-- seems to have > almost disappeared from the educational agenda. The result is a general > population who know nothing about Jamestown and do not even know what the > excitement over the American Revolution was all about. The report speculated > that it's only the turkey that keeps the historical Mayflower in the "knowledge > bank" of the average American under 50 years old. > > As a history buff --as distinguished from a history scholar-- I was appalled > to learn that my own grandson, currently at Stanford on scholarship, thought > Patrick Henry was the one of the Mayflower passengers. (No, I'm not kidding.) > Thinking he could not possibly represent today's students, I questioned a > granddaughter who graduated from college in Boston and is currently working on > her Masters. Ah, I thought, at least she'll know about the Revolution. > Wrong. The only key-word that got a recognition was "Bunker Hill", and all she > remembered was the mis-nomer. I was encouraged to find that she did know > Patrick Henry came on the scene much later that the Mayflower. "Wasn't he the > one who rode to warn the militia in Concord?" When I asked what she remembered > about Concord, she told me about a wonderful display the park departement (U.S.) > has there. Had she been? Not yet. > > You were right when you wrote of the need for sponsors of historical > anniversaries ". . .to address big themes of social history and give them > empathetic local and regional faces." It has to start with education . . . > and good P.R. Sure wish it would start in grade school. > > Joanne > > > > > > > > Jon Kukla <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > It is notworthy that, once again, attendance is lower than had been > projected for the Winter Olympics in Turin. Time alone will tell whether > the Jamestown in 2007 makes a big tourism splash for the commonwealth, but > like the Olympics as a tourist destination, the memorable anniversary > celebrations of the past - Chicago and Columbus in 1893, St. Louis and > Lewis and Clark in 1904, and Jamestown in 1957 etc - thrived in a VERY > different world. A year ago I commented about these changes in an article > published in History News - the AASLH magazine -- that began with some > reflections about the underwhelming anniversary celebrations of the > Louisiana Purchase in 2003 and then drew some conclusions, as follows: > > ". . . Public indifference to the anniversary events of 2003 reveals > more than the long shadows of Lewis and Clark. It may suggest some > lessons about the practice of public history in post-modern North > America. For three reasons, national and international anniversary > celebrations may be as extinct as world’s fairs and the wooly > mammoth. > > First, recreational travel is easier, cheaper, and available to more > citizens than just a few decades ago. Anniversary celebrations have > lost their appeal as vacation destinations. Who can blame > sophisticated recreational travelers for avoiding over-crowded > exhibits and facilities, peak-season prices, and security concerns? > > Second, every modern profession and every marketable commodity has > its own annual trade shows and conventions. Fairs and anniversary > events have lost their public function as venues for the exchange of > technological and commercial information. > > Third, we no longer think about history itself as a single > uncontested narrative. Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 was a > major world event. A century later, naive attempts to replicate that > triumphant mood unleashed bitter controversy. Today’s scholars value > social history and the long durée over old-fashioned “event-driven > history.” We value alternate readings and perspectives as we seek to > hear and portray the voices and experiences of a broader society. We > are too fully aware of history’s ironies and unintended consequences > to admit words like celebration into our discourse about > anniversaries. > > Despite these realities, birthdays and anniversaries still have an > inherent appeal for museums and communities, just as they do for > families. Properly structured, they continue to offer occasion for > valid and successful programs. Three suggestions come to mind: > > First, biography obviously works. While Columbus was sinking fast, > Monticello did well with “Jefferson at 250.” Alexander Hamilton is > all the rage with the anniversary of his fatal duel with Aaron Burr. > Ben Franklin’s three-hundredth birthday promises to be quite a bash. > > Second, research and discovery are keys to vitality. When anniversary > programs are successful, everyone involved learns something new about > the event, its participants, or its context. In 2007, for example, > Virginia officials hope to bolster the economy with a tourism event > based on the four-hundredth anniversary of the Jamestown settlement. > I’m just a spectator here, but the newspaper reports are not entirely > promising. It seems that after a few years of effort, the folks who > want to repeat the 1957-style celebration (highlighted by the visit > from the young Queen Elizabeth II) are fifteen million dollars short > of their sixteen-million-dollar fund-raising target. On the other > hand, the ongoing investigation of the Jamestown fort site by William > Kelso’s archaeological team has excited a great deal of genuine > interest. Research — in this instance by the Jamestown Rediscovery > project — is a key to vitality. > > Third, regional and local anniversaries still have genuine potential. > Huge international events seem distant, impersonal, and susceptible > to abstraction. Smaller, coherent, and manageable events lend > themselves to nuanced interpretation. Surely I am preaching to the > choir when I suggest to members of AASLH that these microcosms offer > promising occasions to address big themes of social history and > give them empathetic local and regional faces." > > From Jon Kukla, "A Noble Bargain and Its Centenaries," History News > (Winter 2005) p. 9. > > > > > My overall point is that when the commemoration is all over, are we going > > to look back on it as 'another' Lewis and Clark non-event in Virginia? I > > sure hope not. > > > > Randy Cabell > > Boyce Virginia > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "W. Scott Smith" > > To: > > Sent: Friday, February 17, 2006 11:02 AM > > Subject: [VA-HIST] Jamestown 2007 (was "Jamestown and the Little Ice Age") > > > > > >> Cousin Randy and List, > >> > >> As a former Virginia 2007 Community coordinator and a current member of > >> the > >> Jamestown 2007 Speakers Bureau, I'm more than a little concerned about > >> the > >> impression that nothing is happening with the upcoming anniversary. > >> > >> The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is doing much more than offering > >> membership in a "1607 Society." > >> > >> As the organization designated by the Commonwealth to spearhead the > >> 400th > >> anniversary events, it is working closely with the Jamestown Federal > >> Commission, over 100 local governments, and scores of organizations to > >> plan > >> events throughout Virginia in 2007. . . . > > Dr. Jon Kukla, Executive Vice-President > Red Hill - The Patrick Henry National Memorial > 1250 Red Hill Road > Brookneal, Virginia 24528 > www.redhill.org > Phone 434-376-2044 or 800-514-7463 > > Fax 434-376-2647 > > - M. Lynn Davis, Office Manager > - Karen Gorham-Smith, Associate Curator > - Edith Poindexter, Curator > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > > > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! Autos. Looking for a sweet ride? Get pricing, reviews, & more on new and > used cars. > > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions > at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html