Summary
A new Philadelphia exhibit, “Liberty,” seeks to tell a more inclusive story of the American revolution by introducing visitors to people critical to building the nation — yet whose names they’ve likely never heard. John Yang visited as part of NewsHour's arts and culture series, CANVAS.Five Facts
- Who is represented in this exhibit who traditionally hasn't been in most museum treatments of the Revolutionary War?
- What is the value of telling under-represented stories from history, according to those interviewed in this piece?
- Where is this museum, and how long has it been open?
- How has this exhibit taken a different approach to telling the story of the Revolutionary War?
- Why does the director of education for Museum of the American Revolution think it's important to tell the story of less-famous people living in the time of the Revolution?
Focus Questions
Do you think the arts can deepen American citizens' sense of U.S. history? Do you think a shared sense of history from the arts can help American citizens develop a sense of shared purpose and community? Why or why not? Media literacy: What do you think the CEO of the Museum of the American Revolution means when he says he wants the museum to "teach people to be historians" rather than "passively walking through a museum just looking for artifacts"? What do you think are the advantages of museum exhibits encouraging asking questions rather than simply providing answers?For More
•How did journalists at the time of the Revolutionary War cover events of the day, and who was represented in their coverage? Check out our Revolutionary War case study from our site on the history of journalism in the U.S., Journalism in Action !
