-
19. Kennedy’s Cowboy Hat
By Sam Collings-Wells On the morning of his assassination, John F. Kennedy was in Fort Worth, Texas, giving a speech at a breakfast gathering of the Chamber of Commerce. When the speech was over, Kennedy was handed a Stetson (pictured). Despite cries of “put it on!” emanating from the crowd, the visibly uncomfortable president refused,…
-
“#Thank a Black Woman”: The Legacy of African-American Women in U.S. Politics
By Tionne Paris In August 2020, commentator Jorge Guarjardo tweeted that “Black women will save the United States”.[1] Whilst this statement was complimentary of black women’s ability to enact change, it highlights the unfair burden black women have been asked to shoulder throughout history. The American public vastly underestimate the political impact black women have had…
-
Women of the Manhattan Project
By Evangeline Leggatt (@evie_leggatt) Traditional narratives of the Manhattan Project emphasise a group of heroic white male physicists in the United States who succeeded in creating, testing, and using the world’s first atomic weapons. Perhaps the most recognisable figure in atomic history was the project’s scientific leader, Dr J. R. Oppenheimer. Other prominent male figures…
-
“Help Me, Rhonda”: The Beach Boys and the Labouring of Popular Music
By Grant Wong (@wongpopscholar) The Beach Boys’ 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) looks and sounds like your typical early Beach Boys record. Its tracks, hits like “California Girls” and “Help Me Rhonda,” celebrate the simple joys of being a teenager in postwar America. Its album sleeve beams with summer fun, depicting the Beach…
-
The Declaration of Independence and the American Constitutional Conversation, 1776-1861
By Joseph Opp Every year, more than one million visitors queue for over an hour to enter the rotunda at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Under its imposing dome and two brilliant murals — flanked by columns, flags, and uniformed security — are the ‘Charters of Freedom’: The Declaration of Independence, the United States…
doinghistoryinpublic.org 