The Smithsonian Magazine

I have many posts from this blog about articles I have read in the Smithsonian Magazine. I also have mentioned a time or two that my wife and I visited DC with our children a number of times when they were young, with stops at the zoo as well as the various Smithsonian Museums. And, as a young adult, I hitchhiked to DC a time or two to visit my cousin who worked at the Pentagon, and to tour the sites of the city. The idea that a family can visit our nation's capital and tour so many interesting and educational buildings, for free, has always filled me with a sense of pride that we, the people, continue to support this endeavor with our tax money. And, in addition to providing such enjoyable opportunities for our own population to learn about America, we do the same for people not fortunate enough to have been born here. As far as I know, there is no other city on Earth where visitors can stroll through multiple buildings and learn about the home country's history, accomplishments, and yes, even failures without a fee. 

It is for all this, that it pains me to read about the attacks on the Smithsonian that the current administration has unleashed. Just a few days ago, I saw a (Fox) news article detailing how horrible one of the lead administrators of the Smithsonian is, and how she should resign. More than once, the author used the word "bile" to describe what they considered some of the exhibits in one of the Smithsonian buildings, in addition to the scathing report released by the White House which calls the institute, and its take on American history, as overly focused on our nation's shortcomings, which causes a reduction in love for our country and divisiveness among the citizens.

I just finished reading the summer edition of the Smithsonian, a larger than usual production that celebrated America's 250th birthday. After reading it cover to cover, as I do all the editions of this fine magazine, I was struck by the thought that those people attacking the Smithsonian must not actually read the magazine, or visit the various museums. That they either here from someone who saw or read one thing they didn't like, and so they prefer to focus on just one article or exhibit out of thousands, even ten of thousands,  to deride and condemn the entire organization, a path made so much easier with the "anti-woke" mentality that has infected so many state legislative bodies as well as the White House itself.

As I have said multiple times in the past, it is possible to hold two thoughts in one's head at the same time, or should be, at least. So, yes, one can be proud of the plethora of accomplishments that America and its citizens have achieved in the last 250 years, while also acknowledging that sometimes we have fallen short, exceedingly short of the ideals of our founding documents. 

Should we spend all of our energies discussing the mistakes? No, but neither should we pretend that egregious mistakes didn't occur, and that people didn't suffer and die due to them. In the end, it is really a matter of percentages, and whether you prefer a 50-50 approach or 90-10, the vast majority of people agree that a 100% focus, in either direction, is wrong.

So, highlights, for me, from the June-July-August issue of the Smithsonian.

As is so often the case, the Smithsonian provides insight into people and achievements both little known and mainstream. This particular issue broke its articles into three types; Life, Liberty and Happiness. But before those sections, was a wonderful introduction to the issue as a whole from the Smithsonian Secretary, Lonnie Bunch III as well as an in-depth article about Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense.

Bunch's intro, called "A Common Thread" discussed the nation's innovative spirit that was woven into our cultural, social and constitutional ideas, a truly unifying approach, while the discussion about Thomas Paine emphasized his sometimes overlooked importance to the early push for independence, as well as the formative documents which we now cherish. Of course, the article goes beyond the infantile belief that America and the ideals it represents was somehow divinely inspired by providing a direct connection from Paine's words to the scientific discoveries of Newton, specifically the idea of a balance and equality that existed in the heavens.  

When I hear people proclaim that our rights are God-given, it amuses me, knowing that the very idea that kings were born, by divine direction, to lead nations was widely believed throughout the history of humanity, used by Pharaohs as well as the patriarchs of all the European dynasties, it is painfully obvious that they would scoff at the idea that everyday people have any rights other than those they granted them. The concept of regular men, (although not women or minorities, at this point) might have rights not historically granted by the divine leaders, was revolutionary. And Paine's Common Sense, distributed widely in England as well as the colonies, was a major catalyst for the ideals of forming a nation which reflected such an idea, as well as the rejection of divinely dictated leadership through birth. Again, in our current age where acolytes of DJT express support for a third term or immunity from prosecution of crimes, I can't help but wonder how men like Paine would react.

The Life section featured short articles about Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine, Margaret Fuller and her writings in support of women decades before women gained the right to vote, Aldo Leopold who championed environmental conservation, the research into improving our method of detecting planets with Earth-like environments, and the early attempts at creating computers that could think.

After these pieces was a very illuminating article about the birth of the use of anesthesia, and the controversy surrounding those who tried to take credit for it, followed by an extended story about a man trying to retrace the steps of what he described as the first tourist trail in America which was detailed in the first travel guide (of America), published in 1822. Fascinating.

From there, the Liberty section, with articles about Ben Franklin's alter egos (used when he wrote opinion letters and articles), an early 18th century woman inventor (whose early patents had to be issued in her husband's name since women weren't allowed to hold patents), a quick blurb about Washington's decision not to be president for life as was considered at the time, as well as a nod to the few presidents who hold patents for their discoveries. 

Additional articles discussed the importance of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, as well as Frederick Douglass's speeches which also defined the evil of slavery and the point of the Civil War, the beginning of journalism that established the idea of reporting as fact finding as opposed to biased reports meant to alter opinions, a look back at the mothers who inspired suffrage for women even though they never voted themselves, as well as a review of child labor laws that put children in schools rather than working dangerous jobs which their size made for a good fit, safety be damned.

The Liberty section also has articles about Woodrow Wilson and his attempts to provide labor rights for the everyday worker who lacked sick and holiday time off, not to mention safe working conditions, an article about Ella Baker, an early proponent of civil rights for Blacks, a very interesting item about Sequoyah's invention of the Cherokee syllabary which led to a literate rate among his people that rivaled European countries, and finally the story about how the Dewey decimal system was invented, yes by a man named Melvil Dewey, an underrated invention which enabled the proliferation of information that marked the late 19th century to be organized in libraries making it easier to store, and then find, the books that a library holds.

From there are a few more extended articles, one on the beginnings of storm chasing and understanding thunderstorms which led to today's (mostly) accurate weather reports about upcoming storms, and then an incredibly compelling story about Alan Lomax, a man who recorded tens of thousands of songs, the authentic songs of America, as he put it.

Finally, the Happiness section with articles about the first cooking manual published in America "The Virginia House-Wife", published in 1824 by Mary Randolph, the origin of frozen food as developed by Clarence Birdseye, an article about innovations in sports that changed each, the influence of adolescents (a mid 20th century invention of America) on pop culture ever since, an interesting story about the # sign (hashtag) and it's power to drive conversation, a quick hitter about the cellphone, an origin story about hip-hop, another origin story, this one about comics, a history of Irna Phillips and the "soap" opera, and an article about the early history of the console (video) game industry and a few of the unheralded inventors who moved it along.

Finally, a multi-page article about Georgia O'Keefe, one of America's signature artists, a woman who rejected the style of painting that existed around the world, instead focusing of painting "what she saw", and what she saw was American landscapes.

Sometimes we, as Americans, forget that our nation is only 250 years old. That when compared to the Old Countries, let alone the history of China and Asia, we are at the very end of the timeline of humanity's existence. Yet the accomplishments that have emanated during our brief history seem outsized, almost as if nothing happened before us, at least not when considering how we live our lives today.  

Perhaps that is a bit of false pride, but it doesn't negate the powerful influence on the world that America has generated since 1776. I am fine with those who say we have been a force for good, as long as we acknowledge that some of the greatest achievements made by Americans throughout history were accomplished by people, or the children of people who were born outside our borders. We were once proud to be called the melting pot of the world, yet now seem to think we don't need anyone else. That, being successful, we can now determine who is more American than others, or who deserves to have a shot at the advantages that our country can still provide. 

They say pride goes before the fall, and so I worry that our pride in boasting about our accomplishments without acknowledging our failures, puts us on that very path. For me, having a magazine and an institution like the Smithsonian to remind us of both, is the vaccine we just might need to avoid the destiny that so many other great nations have experienced throughout human history.