The Educational Promise of Public History Museum Exhibits

Abstract

Public history museums play a critical role in validating a nation's history. The museum's institutional strategies of object display are used to define a particular representation of past events. Museum displays of war are of particular interest not only because they provide evidence of past wars, but also because they serve to advance national identity, nationalism, and patriotism – often without critical reflection on their broader educational impact. By examining one exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History (NMAH), The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, the author shows how the NMAH displays war as a significant event in U.S. history. She also shows how this representation of various wars does not encourage the viewing public to critically consider how the value and meaning of war is framed within a museum context.