The Wide, Challenging, and Wonderful World of Public History

James A. Percoco

Reprinted from the OAH Magazine of History
16 (Winter 2002). ISSN 0882-228X
Copyright (c) 2002, Organization of American Historians
 

Today, for better or worse, most Americans learn their history from some kind of public venue, be it a historic site, a museum, a television documentary, or a Hollywood film. As a public high school history teacher, I have learned that those of us in the classroom compete with a variety of media to teach the "true" story about the history of the United States, so it makes sense for schools and teachers to partner with those individuals who work in public history. And what a time to be a history teacher! When I graduated high school in the mid 1970s, I, like many baby boomers, had been taught from the perspective of a single, narrow vision of the drama of America. But in the intervening years, there has been a shift at all levels of history education to expand beyond a single perspective of the United States. Today in classrooms, at historic sites, at museums, and in film, the history of this nation has taken on a new direction and purpose. We are moving more and more toward incorporating the "lost voices" of the past and are more inclusive in the presentation of the nation's participatory democracy. Aligned with this new approach is a sense that to really teach about American history we need to look at its past--warts and all. Slowly, a historically balanced story seems to be emerging in schools, museums, historic sites, and the literature.

Several years ago, in the wake of the publication of my book A Passion for the Past: Creative Teaching of U.S. History, I was asked by a radio talk show host why Americans do not have a passion for the past. That is hardly the case. We do have a passion for the past, even though sometimes we don't know it. Considering some of the major cultural stories coming out of the United States today, one would have to conclude that the "culture war" contains a heavy dose of historical interpretation. The controversy over the Enola Gay exhibit and the ongoing saga of how to interpret Civil War history in Richmond, Virginia (be it the placement of a statue of African American tennis great Arthur Ashe among Confederate heroes on Monument Avenue or Civil War art on the James River waterfront) are contemporary examples of the tension that exists when trying to interpret the past in a public space. So too is the struggle in several states over the place and role of the Confederate Battle Flag and the recent debate as to the site of the National World War II Memorial. All of these issues speak to the heart of the human condition regarding "our" history, whomever "ours" includes.

This is an eclectic issue of the Magazine, which seeks to encourage teachers to delve into the wide world of public history and consider working directly with historians and with public places, historic sites, and monuments. The issue also reflects the diversity of topics, ideas, and debates found in the public history arena, which mirror the complexity of a history too often oversimplified.

The introductory pieces by David Vanderstel, executive director of the National Council on Public History, and Elaine Reed, executive director of the National Council for History Education, serve as invitations, of sorts, to teachers to explore the idea of collaborating with public historians. Edward Linenthal's "Violence and the American Landscape: The Challenge of Public History" examines the role of memory, and in this case a not-too-distant memory, as he relates the struggle of Oklahoma City to recognize the victims of the 19 April 1995 bombing. In light of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on the United States, it will be interesting and no doubt poignant to see how we as a nation choose to memorialize the victims and remember the events of that terrible day in our recent history. To this end, Linenthal makes a cogent point in the summation of his contribution to this issue. "A View from the Drinking Gourd," by historians/songwriters/entertainers Kim and Reggie Harris, provides a firsthand account of practicing public history, including some of the pitfalls that naturally arise in this venue. Beth Boland's contribution, "Historic Places: Common Ground for Teachers and Historians," segues nicely with the four lesson plans, which look at place, people, and interpretation within a public history arena. The lessons, authored by former history teacher Rita Koman, practicing teachers Richard Kollen and Ron Maggiano, and education specialist Barbara Sanders, were all developed well beyond the textbook with the assistance of local public archives, historical societies, museum properties, and historic sites. These lessons challenge students to look beyond the surface of what might appear to them just "an old house," "an old school," "an old church," or "an old burial ground." Rounding out the issue is a contribution by Tricia Edwards exploring the lessons of history, leadership, and learning as embodied by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In this piece, Edwards reflects on memory and recent history and how these two concepts have in some ways been reconciled over the past twenty years on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Ten years ago, when I created an applied history class at my high school, the muse of history, Clio, gently guided me in the direction of public history and work with public historians. It has been a rich, rewarding, eye-opening experience, which I cherish, one of the highlights of my twenty-two-year career. May you, too, reap the rewards and discover a world outside the four walls of your classroom, in which to better serve your students.

James A. Percoco has been a teacher at West Springfield High School in Springfield, Virginia, for twenty-two years. He is the author of A Passion for the Past: Creative Teaching of U.S. History (1998), which received the 2000 James Harvey Robinson Prize from the American Historical Association; and Divided We Stand: Teaching About Conflict in U.S. History (2001). In 1998 Percoco was named to the first USA Today All-USA Teacher Team and in 1993 he was named Outstanding Social Studies Teacher at the Walt Disney Company American Teacher Awards. In the course of his career, Percoco has served as a consultant to the National Park Service, the National Gallery of Art, the National Archives, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Council for History Education and the chair of the OAH Committee on Teaching.