Nazareth Brooks

About Nazareth Brooks

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Oldest House Museum | St. Augustine.
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The Role Technology has on Public History

Screenshot
Page from Virtual City Website, circa 2004. (Image courtesy of the author.)

ST. Louis " Old courthouse"

Page from Virtual City Website, circa 2004. (Image courtesy of the author.)

The Impact of Technology in Public Engagement

Technology plays a significant role in public history by expanding access to the public and interactive engagement and allowing historians to reach global audiences beyond their borders.

One of the most engaging uses of technology in public history is 3D reconstruction and social media. 3D reconstruction helps historians recreate historic buildings, artifacts, or lost sites, allowing people to experience them virtually. Andrew Hurley, in his chapter “Chasing the Frontiers of Digital Technology,” discusses how 3D technology has transformed communities’ impact on their environment by making it “more meaningful and compelling.”¹ As a result, 3D technology has influenced social media platforms and significantly impacted projects. This leads to the DICE project discussed by Rebeca Wingo, Jason A. Heppler, and Paul Schadewald in the chapter “Introduction to Digital Community Engagement.” The DICE project promotes community engagement through digital humanities and public humanities. The chapter connects both chapters, showing how they utilized technology and projects to engage with their surrounding communities. The quote states, “Community-engaged practice is closely aligned with the goals and methods of civic engagement and civic tech, or the creation of tools ‘to improve public life.’”² This technology is vital in expanding community engagement by making history more accessible, interactive, and immersive. Through projects like 3D reconstruction and digital humanities initiatives such as the DICE project, technology fosters more profound connections between communities and their histories, ensuring a more meaningful and participatory approach to public history.

Credit:

  1. Andrew Hurley, Chasing the Frontiers of Digital Technology (2016), 70.
  2. Rebeca Wingo, Jason A. Heppler, and Paul Schadewald, Introduction to Digital Community Engagement(2020).
A group of students with shovels stand with a NPS officer
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The Role Politics Play in Public History

Framing History Through Politics: The Suppression and Upliftment of Black Cultural Narratives

One can frame historical narratives through political groups, often shaping how history is presented or supported. Fath Davis Ruffins, in her writing about “Building Homes for Block History,” discusses the suppression of the cultural impact that black people have and how efforts were made to conceal the culture of black history. This led to the creation of the “Negro canon” to uplift the art and history of African American culture. A direct quote from the reading states, “black museum pioneers viewed art and music as valuable weapons to help fight social oppression and the internalized belief that black people were intellectually inferior, with no significant history or culture.”¹

A group of students with shovels stand with a NPS officer

The Intersection of Politics and Public History: Controversy, Debate, and Representation

Another way politics play a role in public history is through controversial discussions. Public history is often approached with debates over how to present specific issues. Political debates influence which particular histories are highlighted, revised, or erased, causing division. Michele M. Schlehofer, Kathryn Wagne, and Emily Bramande discuss, in “‘Things Will Get Worse Before They Get Better’: LGBTQ+ People’s Reactions to the 2020 US Presidential Election,” the laws set for the LGBTQ+ community. The direct quote states, “Trans youth have been particularly targeted with discriminatory legislation in recent years. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU, 2022) reports an exponential rise in state-level bills that seek to curtail the rights of trans people, and particularly trans youth, in areas as wide-ranging as access to public bathrooms, healthcare, and participation in youth sports.”² This becomes a problem for historians because public history aims to reveal the truth about history. This sets tension between historians advocating for specific groups and accusations of bias. That’s why it is essential to have balance when engaging with political activism while maintaining professional objectivity. History is always connected to politics because people decide what to keep, share, or remember. However, with public history, historians must stay true to facts and include diversity within communities and their voices.

Credtis 

  1. Fath Davis Ruffins, Building Homes for Block History (1915), 14.
  2. Michele M. Schlehofer, Kathryn Wagne, and Emily Bramande, “‘Things Will Get Worse Before They Get Better’: LGBTQ+ People’s Reactions to the 2020 US Presidential Election” (2023), 1379.
A woman holding a microphone interviews a man in 1990
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“Voices of the Past: Preserving History Through Oral Narratives”

A “SHRINE”

Mount Vernon is often referred to as  a “shrine.” The language significantly shapes how it is preserved and understood. It emphasizes a respectful and patriotic view that usually highlights George Washington’s legacy. At the same time, it also downplays the complete history of the site, especially its past as a plantation that relied on enslaved labor. In the reading, it states,” Some slaves were moved there from family estates, while others were sold to mitigate fiscal crises. African American labor restored the fields and idealized past, but their politics challenged the balance of power”.(Scott E. Casper,2009,1463). It is essential to grasp the true history of Mount Vernon and the complex African American roles that played a massive part in the memory of Washington and slavery.

 

ORAL HISTORY

Even though oral history has flaws, however, it captures personal stories, feelings, and viewpoints that aren’t always traditional. The value oral history holds is significant to what history is. It offers forgotten or overlooked histories that many voices from communities can’t write in records or even offer personal and emotional insight; oral history provides that emotional depth to historical events—fostering deep connections between the past and the present. Oral history is not only facts but how people remember, interpret, and pass down history—making it an essential tool for historic preservation.

Brooklyn Historical Society staff, circa 1990, Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection
Brooklyn Historical Society staff, circa 1990, Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection

CREDITS 

“Oral History” by Linda Shopes

“Johnso’s Mount Vernon: The Forgotten History of an American Shrine.” by Martha S. Jonesreview of Scott E.casper, Sarah

Students visiting a museum with a statue
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Shaping the Past: How Archivists Influence History

Lely Venus [Photograph © May 2018 by Martin,Daisy]

THE PURPOSE OF ARCHIVISTS..

Archivists aim to preserve, organize, and provide access to historical records, ensuring that valuable documents, artifacts, and digital materials remain available for future generations. The Reading “Bibliophiles, Activists, and Race Men.” states, “Black bibliophiles run through our history like an unseen hand. Their influence is present in many of the major developments of our historical experience, even when a superficial glance does not immediately bring to light their presence.” (Elinor Des Verney Sinnette W.Paul Coates Thomas C.Battle) Though archivists aren’t widely recognized, their work uplifts countless individuals by preserving and revealing historical truths.

In his office at home (1971) Charles L. Blockson Afro-American collection.

CHARLES BLOCKSON

In his office at home (1971) Charles L. Blockson Afro-American collection.

How Archivists Influence History

Archivists are essential in shaping how history is preserved, accessed, and understood. Some of the ways their work impacts history are by organizing and cataloging, digitization and online access, and, of course, public engagement. The reading of black bibliophiles and collectors talks about how the black activists collected books to fight against racist ideas that claimed black people were inferior. They wanted to reconnect African Americans with their roots and see their history as part of a bigger global story. The reading states, “They exemplify the ability of black people to follow black leadership. They exemplify the ability of our intellectuals to be socially responsible and to work for the benefit not only of themselves but for the rehabilitation of our past and for the hope of future generations.” (ELINOR DES VERNEY SINNETTE W. PAUL COATES THOMAS C. BATTLE,1990,24). Through this, archivists fight to bring light to unknown history. Without archivists, we as a society would not have the knowledge we have now about our history. Archivists are a part of history core. Without them, we would be off course.

CREDITS

Elinor Des Verney Sinnette W.Paul Coates Thomas C.Battle, “Bibliophiles, Activists, and Race Men”( Howard University Press,1990),23-34

A group of students with shovels stand with a NPS officer
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The Impact of Shared Authority on Public History

Professional Development on Artifacts [Photograph © May 2015 by Mahatma Chanrani]

The Metropoltan Museum of Art

Professional Development on Artifacts [Photograph © May 2015 by Mahatma Chanrani]

Shared authority has significantly impacted historical research, scholarship, and exhibition because it involves a different angle from the past. That shared authority allows these areas to grow because it includes multiple voices, perspectives, and sources. With historical research, instead of the historians or experts declaring what history is essential to speak about, they include other people’s opinions and voices that have lived the experiences. With scholarships, shared authority allows experts and regular people to come together and make ideas and assumptions based on the project they might be working on. This enables community involvement and engagement. Initially, it helps the project grow and run smoothly. Lastly, exhibition and shared authority reshape how history might be preserved. With museums and galleries, letting communities help tell their stories and express themselves more makes it more meaningful, complete, and relatable.

The article “Public History as Reflective Practice” discusses how, in 2003, the president challenged public historians to explore projects that had remained untouched since 1979. On page 11, there is a discussion about shared authority and how it helps the project the historian has been working on for years. Without different experts coming together and sharing their different perspectives and views, the project would’ve been more challenging to accomplish.¹

1Rebecca Conrad, Public History as Reflective Practice (2002), 11.

 

Aspiring scholars examine and collaborate on the analysis of the artifact.[British Museum Photograph © 2017 unidentified]

Ramesses II statue

Aspiring scholars examine and collaborate on the analysis of the artifact.[British Museum Photograph © 2017 unidentified]
A team of historians collaborating to refine and enhance the integrity of their ongoing project. [Photograph © 2024 unidentified]

National Park Service

A team of historians collaborating to refine and enhance the integrity of their ongoing project. [Photograph © 2024 unidentified]

A headshot picture of American History Lucy Maynard Salmon
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What is Public History?

 

Tour guide Malcom Walls explains to visitors why the Old Camberbatch Historic District is not really so boring. [Photograph © 2023 unidentified]

Exploring Public History

Tour guide Malcom Walls explains to visitors why the Old Camberbatch Historic District is not really so boring. [Photograph © 2023 unidentified]

Lucy Salmon is a pioneer in American education. Her exploration of her life helped answer fundamental questions about the nature of education. She pushed boundaries for women’s rights and even minorities. Her influence on public history has shifted the focus on how she goes about her work. Salmon has studied under many highly regarded historians, and one of her notable works that I loved reading was “History in a Backyard.” Lucy starts the article by expressing deep frustration because she and her family couldn’t visit Europe that summer. She wanted to see all of Europe’s museums and artifacts, but as the story continued, she had a significant shift of perspective. As Lucy steps into her backyard, she questions and observes how she can study history in her backyard. Salmon describes her backyard as a treasure with architectural opportunities in the story.¹ Examining and breaking down her fence, trees, flowers, and hedges, and correlating all the symbolic meanings to them. On page 80, one of the symbolic meanings she breaks down is the cherry tree, which means lacking the motion connection the author might feel.² And that brings me to public history and how it is used. I believe public history fosters a deep understanding of how historians shape or present the future, making the past relevant in everyday life. I think that’s what Lucy is trying to show us through the stories. No matter where you go or what you see, it all could be a part of the historical background.

  1. Lucy Maynard Salmon, History in a Backyard (1912), 76.

  2. Ibid., 80.

How does Lucy Maynard Salmon align with Public History?

A headshot picture of American Historian Lucy Maynard Salmon

Lucy Maynard Salmon

A headshot of American Historian Lucy Maynard Salmon from her 1912 article “History in a Backyard,”

This Cherry tree is what Lucy Maynard discusses in her story ” History in a Back Yard.” I wanted to give a visual of what a cherry tree looks like and how the tree grasped her attention.

A Cherry tree in a back yard.

Cherry Tree