It is not just about history…

We visited the National Museum of American History on the second weekend of September. It is gigantic covering the American history of politics, commerce, military, transportation and technology. Even though you stay there for the whole day, you still cannot go through all the interesting details. Luckily, it is free admission so you can come back as many times as you want. (a credit to all US taxpayers😊)

This museum serves as a good place to understand not just the US history but also how the American government wants their citizens to know about their past. I was quite impressed that they are not reluctant to show us the dark side of the country. In the zone of Independence history, many people fought for independence but some of them could not be treated equally after the Independence war, namely female, African American and Indians. In the zone of military history, almost all Japanese American were locked in the concentration camp during World War II even though they didn’t commit any crime. In the zone of democracy history, some states created barriers for African American to vote by imposing voting tax and literacy text. Although discrimination and injustice are still happening in the US, the situation has been improving. The dark side of history warn the citizens that they should not take what they have and enjoy now for granted. They should be ready to fight for their rights and liberty.

This is how patriotism being taught in the US.