New York Historical Society

     On Wednesday, May 22, 2013, I went with my class to the New York Historical Society. It was my first time there and it was a honestly cool experience. Although, our trip to the MET was interesting, I feel this trip made me feel more engaged in learning about history, specifically about WWII. A major part of the reason as to why my experience in this exhibit was more fun and enticing was the layout and how everything was presented. Right when I walked in, there was a timeline wall and little table with an old radio in which a broadcast from back then was heard, as oppose to walking into a silent and dull atmosphere. The space of this exhibit wasn’t as spacious as the MET. However, I think it was enough space to allow individuals to move around and it was also due to the inward walls and architecture that is not seen in typical square rooms. I believe this time, the space allowed people to interact with everything they saw, instead of whispering to everyone around them. The total atmosphere in one word would be interactive. There was always something for guests to do, whether it was picking up a telephone and hearing a narrator discuss history or a story, pressing buttons or even watching videos. This made me want to keep walking through the entire exhibit with a sincere curiosity and explore more rather than walking around just to take notes.

     So I think the major thing that stuck out to me was the Travelers aid to resemble NYC. It was an exciting sight; there was a Statue of Liberty, bright flickering lights with one that stated, “cocktails”, and there was also the wonder wheel from Coney Island. It felt like home, even though we were already in New York City. This section was something that we consider the heart of this state. I picked up the phone and chose from the song selection which featured, “I’ll be Seeing You” by Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra or “Oklahoma” by Alfred Drake and chorus. Another thing that caught my attention was the wall that was black and blue and full of boats and had a city skyline in the background. It was about The Battle of the Atlantic and strategies the allies used to win the war. One strategy was turning out the lights all over the city, even from the Statue of Liberty to prevent German U-boat captains from spotting ship silhouettes at night. Coney Island also went pitch black. Now, imagine that! It’s pretty hard to think about this city known for its lights turning dark; and quite scary too.  One last thing that I found interesting was the section of the exhibition which had a wall with individuals who made a difference and made contributions throughout the war. Some people include, President FDR, Edwin Len, Jacob Lawrence, Masako Mary Yamada and Sam Fuller. It demonstrated how the military and navy was more integrated with people of different ethnicities as oppose to previous wars of the past.

     Before we went to the New York Historical Society, I remember my professor mentioning that the founders of this museum wanted to give off a positive portrayal of WWII, but it really did not sink in until my visit was over. I kept saying, I” like this museum better”. And, I realized it was because there wasn’t anything to dwell over or any graphic images that presented pain or ore that would linger in my head. I think the museum made me momentarily forget about the actual violence that is malevolent associated with any war. The New York Historical Society definitely wanted guests to feel supportive or just acknowledge that the time period in which the war occurred was not a total dark time in history. I feel the exhibition we saw at the MET about the Civil War felt as if they were just presenting facts and served as a reality of what really happened which made people cringe; it displayed things that maybe people don’t want to think about. On the other hand, the NYHS to me was more celebratory, showcasing how a nation overcame a hardship. It can be said that when we are presented information, we must take into account that there are always two sides to the story.