Statement Regarding Wisconsin Collecting
March 6, 2011
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has an ongoing commitment to document the spirit of American democracy and the American political process, including how people express their points-of-view through political rallies, demonstrations and protests.
This week, the Museum is sending a representative to evaluate materials related to both sides of the ongoing public debate in Wisconsin. This is part of the museum’s long tradition of documenting how Americans participate in the political process. The Museum collects from contemporary events because many of these materials are ephemeral and if not collected immediately, are lost to the historical record.
The museum's political history collection includes objects related to presidential history and political campaigning, as well as the history of the White House and first ladies, civil rights, women's suffrage and reform movements, and labor history. The collection includes objects that are more than 225 years old, from the desk Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence, the inkwell Lincoln used to write the Emancipation Proclamation to protest signs carried during the 1963 March on Washington.
Recent acquisitions since 2008 include materials from the Obama/McCain Presidential campaigns, immigration demonstrations on the National Mall, gay marriage and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell campaigns,” the Tea Party rally in March 2010, Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally, Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity“ and most recently from the American Conservative Union’s CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in February.
This week, the Museum is sending a representative to evaluate materials related to both sides of the ongoing public debate in Wisconsin. This is part of the museum’s long tradition of documenting how Americans participate in the political process. The Museum collects from contemporary events because many of these materials are ephemeral and if not collected immediately, are lost to the historical record.
The museum's political history collection includes objects related to presidential history and political campaigning, as well as the history of the White House and first ladies, civil rights, women's suffrage and reform movements, and labor history. The collection includes objects that are more than 225 years old, from the desk Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence, the inkwell Lincoln used to write the Emancipation Proclamation to protest signs carried during the 1963 March on Washington.
Recent acquisitions since 2008 include materials from the Obama/McCain Presidential campaigns, immigration demonstrations on the National Mall, gay marriage and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell campaigns,” the Tea Party rally in March 2010, Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally, Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity“ and most recently from the American Conservative Union’s CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in February.
