Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Since its 2018 re-curation, the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters has stood out among Savannah's house museums and set an example for others to restore and interpret the domestic spaces of the enslaved.Nearby, the Davenport House is reaching completion of curation of its enslaved quarters and others, such as the Andrew Lowe House, have begun to include enslaved people among the pantheon of figures highlighted in their historical narratives.This site tells the tough stuff of American history in a refreshing fashion.The new curation has had a major impact in creating distance between Savannah's historic district and the peddling of the mythic South.E. C. Thompson, independent scholar Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum and The Carter Center.Meredith Evans, Director.Atlanta, Georgia.https://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/ Growing up, I knew just two things about Jimmy Carter, aside from the fact that he was once president of the United States.The first was that he was a peanut farmer from Georgia, and the second was that he cared about world peace.In becoming a historian, I've learned much more about Jimmy Carter, and have been amazed by his commitment to a life of service.A place that has deepened my understanding is the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, part of The Carter Presidential Center.The museum dedicated to Carter's time in office emphasizes his decades of public duty, taking a long view of his contributions to humanity beyond his one term in office.James "Jimmy" Carter, the nation's 39th President, was born in 1924."The Man from Plains" was raised on a farm where Black sharecroppers cultivated peanuts on his family's land.Carter entered public service early, graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946.After success in state politics, Carter was elected president of the United States in 1976, serving from 1977 to 1981.Alongside Jimmy was his wife Rosalynn Carter, a fierce and independent companion who promoted mental health care as First Lady.Carter has been working now as a "retired" politician for more than forty years-the longest position he has held by far.Carter's library and museum were built in 1986, alongside The Carter Center, a place designed for "Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, and Building Hope."The adjacent Center has meeting spaces for peacekeeping summits and boardrooms for dignitaries; people working for the Center use this as a base for their global efforts.Visitors coming to learn about Carter's time as a world leader will also see how important his work after his presidency has been to his sense of self.Peace was not simply something Carter hoped to broker between warring leaders at Camp David; an ethic of striving for a better world infuses the entirety of the presidential site.Work that Carter began as president in fact continues on the grounds of this Center.
Source: The Public Historian
Author: Allison Horrocks
Institution: National Park Service
Language: English
Subfield: Museology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4385445401