1. Brianna Barcena
Public History Seminar – Mid-Term Essay
The field of public history is fairly recent in terms of academia. The idea of
public history, however, has evolved from centuries of presenting artifacts and
objects to the public, often to display one’s riches and status. As university level
education slowly began becoming popular in the United States, history was a
respectable subject to pursue, as more universities were incorporating history into
their curriculum following its establishment at Johns Hopkins University in 1886.
After the first public history degree program was established at the University of
California in Santa Barabra in 1976, public historians began asking questions of
where, how, and why should we think about the past. Today, public history has the
same idea, of presenting the past to the public, but the idea of riches and power are
often the opposite of what public historians attempt to present. Three common
areas of public history include, but are certainly not limited to, museum studies,
historic preservation, and archival studies.1 The purpose of the public historian, in
these types of institutions or others, is constantly changing as the social climate
changes and new ideas, values, issues, and communities are changing. It is the
responsibility of a public historian to embrace these changes, with full knowledge of
the past events and emotions that have accumulated to that specific point in time
that is being studied, displayed, and exhibited.
Public history emerged in during a time when the United States was
undergoing drastic social changes. The Civil Rights movement that took place
throughout the 1950s and 1960s set a stage for other social movements to find a
voice and progress. These movements included the feminists’ movements, anti-war
protests, the counterculture movement, and a general awareness of injustices,
poverty, and economic problems. Prior to the establishment of the M.A and Ph.D.
programs at U.C. Santa Barbara, there had been an attempt for universities to
incorporate “applied histories,” archival methods, and even museum studies
programs in a way to integrate the ideas of public history, without the help of
academic historians.2 These schools focused on the already mentioned career fields
that were in need of students with training in order to maintain their status and
progress. It is safe to say that public history is a derivative of these ideas, classes,
and career fields, combined with the traditional historian skill set and interests.
Together, the new subfield of historical study that emerged in the 1970s reflected
the new social movements, with an interest in explaining and providing information
about the new social history that was occurring at the time.
There appeared to be a new demand for historians to take action and make
change instead of simply working in academia. This demand could have stemmed
for the shortage of university jobs, but it occurred at a time when the public began
thinking differently about the way the past was presented, and historians that were
1 Rebecca Conrad. “Historiography of Public History: The Pragmatic Roots of Public
History Education in the United States.” The Public Historian 37, no. 1 (2015): pp.
106.
2 Ibid. pp. 113-114.

2. studying the past, were in a good position to present this information in new,
innovative, and socially aware ways. Dr. Cathy Stanton of Tufts University stresses
that the emergence of public historians in the 1970s stemmed from a will to assert
within academia that, “their methods and insights are of value to society outside
academy walls.”3 An issue that occurs when academics work on public histories, is
that often times the average person does not trust university professors, in this case,
historians, to provide them with honest and authentic facts.4 Instead, they trusted
museums and family members when wanting to learn more about the past. Perhaps
this is the reason why early professionals in what is now a public history field felt
the need to train and preserve the work and skills needed to maintain museums,
archives, and historic sites. As public historians observe their field and try to
evaluate what works and what does not, it appears that there is a powerful sense of
place when dealing with specific locations. These locations are not always museums
or sites, but often locations where a meeting place, home, church, or park once stood
that were once locations of many memories and connections. Today, public
historians aim to acknowledge these points of intimacy and find ways to revive the
memories and contribute to the community in which sentiment is held.5
One major theme that public historians address, which stemmed from what
is seen as the first major public history project, is the way race and culture is
presented to the public through various mediums. History presentations often tend
to be skewed toward a certain side or belief of a story, therefore, the audience is
only receiving information from a privileged, or biased, point of view.6 There is an
ongoing effort among public historians to push past the biases that come with
specific funding and politics, in order to find a way to accurately depict dilemmas,
hardships, triumphs, and progressions of the silenced voices. For centuries, history
and education was dominated by the power and so-called successes of rich white
men who triumphed over terrain, savages, and disease. Although this is often a
trend that is still seen today, there is more of an effort, not just by public historians,
to move towards a bottom-up history, in which the history of slavery, poverty,
abuse, segregation, and repression of minorities, women, and immigrants are used
to explain the history of the United States. Learning about the history of the United
States through the eyes of Native Americans may ignite an interest in visiting
historical sites or museums in order to see evidence and learn more about Native
Cultures to witness their hardships. Hearing first-hand accounts in a location that it
occurred can educate and enhance a person’s sense of their surroundings. It also
promotes tolerance and respect among different cultures and races.
3 Cathy Stanton. The Lowell Experiment: Public History in a Postindustrial City.
(Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006), pp. 8
4 Roy Rozenweig and David Thelen. The Presence of the Past. (New York, NY:
Columbia University Press, 1998), pp. 235.
5 Delores Hayden. The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History.
(Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1997) pp. 9.
6 Cook, Alexander Cook. “The Use and Abuse of Historical Reenactment: Thoughts on
Recent Trends in Public History.” Criticism 46, no. 3 (2004): pp. 490.

3. Another topic of discussion that public historians address often is local
history. Where historians in academia tend to focus on very broad ranges of time
periods and locations, there appears to be a general lack of focus on localities. Every
town, city, community has a history, but this history is often ignored or forgotten
over time due to lack of resources, interests, and documentation. It is not enough for
a historian to focus on memory and commemoration; it is necessary to investigate
people most like ourselves.7 Stories have been passed down for generations,
sometimes documented, although more often than not the histories are oral, and
communities rely on elders to uphold traditions and communicate ideas and values
for the generations to come. These oral traditions are important to a community’s
identity, however, it leaves outsiders ignorant about hardships that may have been
faced. This is often seen in Native American communities who hold their traditions
sacred and do not wish to educate the outside population. This could also stem from
centuries of repression and forced emigration that has led them to not trust
outsiders. Although this is understandable, their stories would help those in the
surrounding communities to respect their privacy and traditions. Reading stories
about prejudices is not enough to allow a person to comprehend what was
happening, seeing documentation and physical evidence proves authenticity and
creates a connection with the audience. Connections are the key to understanding
the past and progressing towards the future. Often time, as with families of
immigrants, people lose sight of their heritage and ancestry due to distance and the
drive for past immigrants to assimilate as best as possible in order to fit in and
obtain jobs in a rough market. Helping people finding their lost past through
connections made through other immigrants stories and histories can create a sense
of pride and satisfaction of knowing where they came from.
There have been many honorable attempts to present history to the public in
exciting, educational, and authentic ways. Previously, reenactments were ways in
which people of the present could witness the events of the past, often times
becoming a part of the scene. Some popular reenactments include Civil War battle
reenactments, everyday life in Colonial Williamsburg, Salem Witch Trials, and
Native tribal dances performed for the public. When accessibility is an issue due to
location, reenactments on television tend to be a popular choice for at home
learning. Public historians stress that, “reenactments set out not to dramatize a past
that is already known, but to learn something new about the past through the
activity of reenactment itself and to communicate those findings to a wider
audience.”8 Although there are some limitations and problems these reenactments
face, it is a responsible way of communicating with a new audience. Reenactments
allow the viewer to have a visual representation of the past that a book or teacher
cannot provide. When witnessing a reenactment in person, the sounds, smells, and
physical touch that are felt can teach through the senses. There is also a special kind
of connection that is created for the actor. Whether it be on a battlefield or in a
documentary film, the actor emerges him or herself into a new world and learns
7 Stanton. The Lowell Experiment. pp. 17
8 Cook. “The Use and Abuse of Historical Reenactment” pp. 488-489

4. more about the trials and tribulations of the time, more so than they would simply
watching the reenactment. These actors then have the opportunity to discuss how
they felt and what they experienced with curious minds, and public historians who
could use their experience for research, so that a deeper understanding can be
created. Although this may not be as authentic of an emotion had it happened in the
actual time period, it creates an awareness for the time period, hopefully, in a well-
rounded viewpoint that covers the different populations affected by a specific event.
Public history is entering a digital age where the media and technology are
expanding their reach and opportunities to provide information and learning
experiences to a larger audience. As people have more access to computers,
televisions and the Internet than they did five years ago, there is an obvious shift in
the utilization of digital exhibitions and media related projects. A major problem
that presenting public history in the medium is whether or not people trust the
information being provided on websites, in public databases, and through
documentaries. Media can illustrate that history is an open body of knowledge,
allowing access to opportunities to create a real relationship with the past and
present. A documentary film using investigative reenactment can stimulate fruitful
reflection on both the past and the present.”9 This is only possible if the content and
intentions behind the digital information is created with sensitivity and accurate
research. A major issue when dealing with digital and media forms of information is
that it is not often trusted. Although many individuals watch historical movies,
documentaries, or search websites, they do not trust that they are being provided
with accurate information of any sorts, which is often the case when dealing with
blockbusters.10 When any individual has the ability to place information the
Internet, it is difficult to sort through which websites are reliable and which are
hoaxes.
Difficulties aside, it is important for public historians, no matter what their
academic background may be, to embrace the changes in the social, economic, and
political climate. Museums appear to be a steady focal point for the public to access
history and a piece of the past they can relate to, however, distance and finances
may prevent a person from experiencing what the museum or institution has to
offer. It is important for museums, and the public historians that work in them, to
make their exhibits and presentations understandable, yet rich in a multiple of
viewpoints. By multiple viewpoints, it is meant that, in order to accurate depict an
event, say the life of a slave on a plantation, having multiple accounts of slaves and
possibly indentured servants who can give an opposing viewpoint to enhance the
cruelty enacted upon the slaves, would be more effective than a single account.
Funding is often an a dictator of which narratives are used and what information is
displayed, which can often be disheartening and limiting for public historians who
have high hopes for a project. This is perhaps the most restricting aspect of public
history, however, it does not prevent ideas from being constructed. These ideas can
lead to new and innovative horizons in the world of public history that may one day
come to life. With technology, online exhibits and blogs can allow public historians
9 Ibid. pp. 490.
10 Rozenweig and Thelen. The Presence of the Past. pp. 234-235.

5. to educated with limited funding. So long as public historians strive to enlighten
people about the truth of the past, on local and global scales, information will be
shared.
Despite the best efforts of public historians around the nation, the public
history subfield still needs to grow and evolve in order to secure its position in
society. The drastic technological changes that have occurred between 1976 and
now has caused problems when trying to reach younger audiences and attempting
to stress the need to engage with the past through places, when any information
needed can be found on the internet. It is difficult to find connections between a
person and the past when the current generation has a drastic lack of interest in
history. That being said, technology offers new opportunities for public historians,
allowing them to reach a global audience in ways that may not have been possible
before. Technology aside, public history is a fairly new profession that is finding its
place and importance among politics and social changes by enlightening citizens
through authentic and accessible information and experiences. Experiences make
memories and memories make connections. These connections are what public
historians seek to highlight by using their academic background with their
understanding of the past, current events, and the opportunities of the future.
Works Cited
Conrad, Rebecca. “Historiography of Public History: The Pragmatic Roots of Public
History Education in the United States.” The Public Historian 37, no. 1 (2015):
pp. 105-120.
Cook, Alexander. “The Use and Abuse of Historical Reenactment: Thoughts on
Recent Trends in Public History.” Criticism 46, no. 3 (2004): pp. 487-496
Hayden, Delores. The Power of Place: Urban Landscapes as Public History. Cambridge,
MA: The MIT Press, 1997.
Rozenweig, Roy and David Thelen. The Presence of the Past. New York, NY: Columbia
University Press, 1998.
Stanton, Cathy. The Lowell Experiment: Public History in a Postindustrial City.
Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006