The Enola Gay Exhibit At The National Air And Space Museum

Originally intended to be displayed in the 1990’s to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Enola Gay exhibit was dismantled piece by piece until it became an unrecognizable shadow of what used to be a museum exhibit. The controversy surrounding the Enola Gay exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) has helped to revive a spirited debate between professional, scholarly historians and amateur historians who are likely to have some first hand experience with significant historical events. Questions have arisen concerning the ownership of history and the role that professionals and amateurs should have in the retelling of events in our nations past. Regardless of the different answers to these questions what is clear is that it is upsetting that common ground could not be reached between the multiple interests involved in the Enola Gay controversy. This exhibit is paramount in educating the populace about a pivotal moment in American history. I find its absence is unacceptable and deplorable. The following details the unique structure of how I would set up a museum concerning the use of the atomic Bomb, which will aim to educate visitors on events from Pearl Harbor to the dawn of the Cold War. Mature and curious visitors to my Atomic History Museum will be made aware that these events in history are controversial, emotionally jarring and gruesome by nature. When visitors walk into the museum they will have two distinct paths that they canShow MoreRelatedThe Conflict Over The Enola Gay Exhibit1415 Words   |  6 Pagesconflict has shown itself recently in the dispute over the Enola Gay exhibit in Washington D.C. Opposing sides clashed as proposed plans for the aircraft and its display brought about judgment from each character involved, as many people had a different way they wanted the story of this aircraft to be told. A detailed analysis of the debate of heritage versus history is applied to the case of the Enola Gay and its representation in a museum setting is shown here. This analysis reveals the goals ofRead MoreAn Exhibit Of The National Air And Space Museum1258 Words   |  6 PagesIn 1993, a plan to build an exhibit of the Enola Gay in the National Air and Space Museum received immense amounts of criticism from military historians, journalists, and veterans, as they felt that it didn’t correctly portray the Japanese an d those in the American armed forces during the war. The book’s authors offer theories ranging from historical context, how Japan’s role in the war was interpreted, the American people’s discomfort regarding Truman’s order to drop the bomb, the mood of AmericansRead MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pagesbe reduced to languishing in nameless obscurity †¢ The rise of the new media, most notably the Internet, has caused an unprecedented democratization of the publishing process, with almost everyone and anyone being entitled to their bit of domain space and broadband to broadcast their thoughts on the World Wide Web, and consequently to the whole wide world, without being subject to the scrutiny of an intermediary. †¢ Promote a culture of self-absorption †¢ Live in a little bubble of their own