American History

 Was it last week that we went to the American History Museum?  We've been a bit bogged down with doctor visits and I'm losing track!  Fortunately those multiple doctor visits should be slowing down within the next few weeks.

At any rate, we've been wading through Land of Hope.  I can't say I fully endorse it, not that it isn't full of good stuff, but it's more appropriate for college level work, IMHO. Or it would be great for a kid who was fascinated by American history.








Lots of thoughtful pages completely covered with text with scarcely any pictures.  I've ended up skimming chapters and discussing the interesting points they bring up, and that's been surprisingly fruitful.

They have also been rewatching some of Liberty's Kids while I've been off doing doctory stuff.


 Our visits to Fort McHenry and now the American History museum have tied in very well and helped put some visual interest into the concepts.



I do think that the military history exhibit on the top floor is probably the best designed museum exhibit I've ever experienced, both in terms of telling a continuous narrative and telling a complex nuanced story.






In the book we are still in the early years of the country, but we are seeing the set up of many of the conflicts that continue to the present day, and this exhibit was a great way to tie everything together in an interesting discussion.