City. This conversation took place online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The New York Historical society provided a video. Good evening everyone. Im delighted and have the opportunity to talk to my good friend and professional colleague, harold. I want to remind you that you can ask questions anytime during the program by using the q a buttons. We will get to your questions after the conversation. Lets turn our attention to some objects that help us describe the civil war. In the history museum, objects to a lot of heavy lifting and standing in for a larger historical narratives be on the characteristics that define the objects itself. Let us just talk for a moment about the book civil war and 50 objects which inspired this program. Harold, tell us about it and how did the objects help to develop the complex story of the civil war . Its extraordinary, really, because when we undertook this project eight years ago it was difficult to find the objects, although we think they tell the s
Of the Newyork Historical Society top of the articles in the joint publication. A civil war in 50. Objects they risks they discuss objects civil war technicality, includings will secret war codes. The new york Historical Society provided the video. So harold, weve been talking in the series about the power of objects being touchstones and historical event, being conduits to understanding the past. Its a thrill and extort a experience being historian in new york historian and working along these treasures and using them in my exhibitions. Lets talk about a second for the inspiration for this program a civil war in 50 objects. I can 50 objects tells such a sweeping . Story we so after cells that question often when we were whittling down the list and it was so much to choose from. I guess the way we did it as i recall, his first we discussed the medium of the object. We wanted, photographs paintings, objects, relics and then we wanted to represent every year of the civil war. First year
Of americas town hall. I am jeffrey rosen, the president of this wonderful institution. As folks who have joined us before know, we begin our programs by reciting together the National Constitution centers Inspiring Mission so we can prepare ourselves for the learning ahead, so here we go. Recite virtually after me. The National Constitution center is the only institution in america chartered by congress to increase awareness and understanding of the u. S. Constitution among the American People on a nonpartisan basis. Beautiful. That is a wonderful recitation, and before we begin, i want to provide a quick plug for our next town hall on august 4. Please join us for the 2020 annual Supreme Court review in partnership with the antidefamation league, and it will feature the distinguished. Egal scholars it will be a wonderful discussion of the most important cases of the term. I must tell you with great 26th,re that on august circumstances permitting, the National Constitution center will
Chrome film. The library of congress curator tells a story about this collection and the photographers. But we are in the center vault of the prints and photographs division of the library of congress. The library has a collection of color photographs from the 1930s and 40s. It started as an experiment with color film. Kodak was just putting its color film on the market and sent it out to photographers and institutions to give it a try to see if they could create a market for it. The pictures were free so they were appealing to the newspapers magazines and publishing agencies, book brochures on that kind of thing. I was fill your with the black and white photographs. About 171,000. Black and white photograph. I have been working with those for a few years. There was not much emphasis placed because they were hard to handle. They were unique items. Theres only one of each at the time in the 1970s. It was difficult to make a copy. Very expensive to make a photograph. You do make another
On august 6 and Army Air Force b29 dropped atomic bomb number two on hiroshima, japans seventh largest city. [explosion] a stunned universe swiftly learned that man had a new weapon of shocking destructiveness. A weapon bordering on the absolute. Died instantly. 70,000 persons were killed or listed as missing. 140,000 persons were injured. 43,000 were badly hurt. The city was unbelievably crushed. Of 90,000 buildings, over 60,000 were demolished. The remains were described as vapor and ashes. Man had torn from nature one of her innermost secrets. With his knowledge he had fashioned an instrument of annihilation. Menacing implications were frightening to everyday people. What did you think of that bomb we dropped on the japs . Terrible. All of those people killed. Relays later, another b29 dropped an improved bomb on the seaport of nagasaki. A highly congested city boasting the best natural harbor in western kyushu. [explosion] this bomb, exploding over the district, took the lives of 4