The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 735-743) and index.

The Smithsonian Institution is America's largest and most cherished repository for the objects that define our common heritage. The author, its Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture, has for decades served as a driving force in the effort of our national museums to tell America's whole story. This book is the culmination of a broad effort, led by the author and involving all the Smithsonian's national museums and more than a hundred of its top scholars and curators, to select a set of objects that could collectively represent the American experience. Each entry pairs the history of each object with the place it has come to occupy in our national memory. He sheds new light on familiar objects such as the Star-Spangled Banner, Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat, Dorothy's ruby slippers, Julia Child's kitchen, the giant pandas, and the space shuttle Discovery, including the often astonishing tales of how each made its way into the Smithsonian. Other objects, like the suffragists' "Great Demand" banner and the Tuskegee flyer, will be eye-opening new discoveries for many, but no less evocative of the most poignant and important moments of American history. Still others, like Sitting Bull's drawing book, Cesar Chavez's union jacket, and the Enola Gay bomber, illustrate difficult chapters in the nation's history. Also included are behind-the-scenes insight into controversies arising from their exhibition at the Smithsonian.