America I Am

To me the exhibit "America I Am" means that African-Americans have had a huge role in shaping American history and culture and that America would be very different without African-Americans. I can infer this because it started with the  first slaves coming over then progressed through history with landmarks such as the Great Migration, Martin Luther King leading the civil right movement, Brown vs Board of Education, and Shirley Chisholm running for president. The final room (not counting the movie) was a tribute to African-Americans that had an impact on American culture; from Jackie Robinson to Louis Armstrong.

The exhibit was interesting. It was well paced and each section made sense in the context of the exhibit. Certain parts, like the church and slave ship were made to look like the real environment which was interesting. There was always a picture, movie, or primary source to look at so you never got bored. Um... I can't really think of a con, but the gift shop selection was pretty sparse. ;)

America I Am meaning

To us the exhibit tile "America I Am" means that all ethnicities are apart of America. In the context of the exhibit it means that African Americans have played a large part of American culture. We know this because the exhibit showed major roles played by the African Americans in history such as the Cincinnati Brigade who fought in the cvil war for the Union, and Shirley Chisholm, who was the first black presidential candidate and the first black congressman.

In general we think the exhibit was well done and interesting. It had a variety of media so you where never reading or looking at pictures to much. They had many interesting artifacts that helped illustrate the main point of the exhibit. The way they decorated certain sections in a way that it looked like the setting such as the slave trade fortress. The exhibit was interesting and we enjoyed although they could have marked each section with a title that was shown.

Tuskeegee airmen life lessons

There are many life lessons we can learn from the Tuskegee Airmen. one is that you should never let anyone tell you what you can or cant do because people that African Americans were incapable of flying a plane and the Airmen proved them wrong. another life lesson is that you should do something even if you get little or no recognition for it because even thought they completed countless missions they still were widely disrespected. a third life lesson is to never give up because one airmen was shunned in West Point, military school but they still graduated.

What I Can Learn From The Tuskegee Airmen

We can learn a lot from the Tuskegee Airmen, but the three most important lessons we can learn are: persevere through hard times, listen to your head, and believe in yourself. I say persevere because Ben Davis was shunned at his training camp, but still graduated at 32nd in his class out off 200 plus. I say listen to your head because, in the HBO movie, Lawrence Fishburne's character thought everything through and didn't quit because he knew he would be playing into his superiors hands. I say believe in yourself because, both in real life and in the movie, the persons with the most self confidence had the most success.

What We Can Learn From the Tuskegee Airmen-John Murphy

We can learn a lot from the Tuskegee Airmen. The first thing we can learn from them is never to give in no matter what. They faced many challenges including racist officers and generals. The second thing we can learn from them is dedication to excellence, they never lost a bomber they had been assigned to protect. The final thing we can learn from them is that you can achieve anything if you work hard. They paved the way for African-Americans in flight and achieved great things despite significant obstacles in their path.

Dorrie Miller Poster

Dorrie Miller was the first African American to receive the Navy Cross. Though he was just a mess attendant, he did far more than clean up messes on December 7, 1941 at the famous Pearl Harbor on the USS West Virginia. When the ship was hit in an air raid, Dorrie saved his captain, and shot down at least one Japanese fighter plane, and manned the gun until he was told to stop, even though he was never taught to use a gun. He was originally awarded a letter of accommodation, but American citizens thought he deserved a greater award. Frank Knox, the navy secretary at the time was reluctant to award him something greater, but was finally swayed when president Roosevelt intervened and commanded Knox to award Miller the Navy Cross. Dorrie later died aboard the USS Liscomb Bay.

Dorie Miller Poster-John Murphy

Here, Dorie Miller is shown sanding in front of the ruins of Pearl Harbor with a Navy Cross on his shirt. This poster, by David Stone Martin, is based off a photograph of him. Dorie Miller was a cook on the USS West Virginia. In the attack on Pearl Harbor he dragged his captain to safety and manned a 50mm bridge gun, though he had no training with it, and shot down at least one Japanese plane according to his account. He was awarded a Navy Cross six months later. He was previously only given a letter of commendation, but after public outcry in the African-American community he became the first African-American to receive the Navy Cross. After this poster released African American enlistment soared. He died around the time this poster came out, when The Liscome Bay, was torpedoed.