Past + Present
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Britain in WWII
Europe’s Last Hope Island
When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II,
the city of London became a refuge for government leaders and armed forces from six
occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. As they joined the British to rally
spirits in their home countries and plot their return, they looked to England not only as the
lone European democracy still battling Hitler, but as their last hope.
Author Lynne Olson, in an interview with historian Evan Thomas, discusses those perilous
days when Europeans, including Norway’s King Haakon, Holland’s Queen Wilhelmina, and
France’s General Charles de Gaulle, joined forces to fight their common enemy. The cooperation among the members of the various European governments-in-exile led to more than
half a century of peace and prosperity for western Europe.
Olson’s book Last Hope Island: Britain, Occupied Europe, and the Brotherhood that Helped
Turn the Tide of War (Random House) is available for sale and signing at the program.
Aircraft spotter on a roof in London
Mon., June 5, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1H0-245; Members $30; Nonmembers $45
The Rise of Genghis Khan
Forging the Mongol World Empire
About 800 years ago, a forward-thinking, ambitious warrior, Temujiin, united the disparate
tribes of central Asia to create the nation of Mongolia. In doing so, he became Genghis
(Chinggis) Khan—the “Oceanic” or “Universal” ruler of
a sprawling world empire. Its contributions include
diplomacy, religious tolerance, the art of warfare, a
unified writing system, and a revolutionary communications system. Genghis Khan is also credited with
helping to bring communication and trade from
northeast Asia to the Muslim Southwest Asia and
Map of the Mongol Empire at its height
Christian Europe. From a collection of nomadic
cultures on the Eurasian steppes, Khan created the largest contiguous land empire in history.
Michael Chang, associate professor in the department of history and art history at George Mason
University, separates the man from the myth and offers an historical overview of Genghis Khan’s military
genius, political savviness, and his questionable use of terror that led to the emergence of the Mongols
under his leadership.
Genghis Khan portrait on a Mongolian hillside, 2006
Tues., June 6, 6:45 p.m.; Ring Auditorium, Hirshhorn Museum; CODE 1H0-244; Members $30;
Nonmembers $45
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The 1920s: Daring To Be Modern
The Women’s Vote
The 19th Amendment and Its Aftermath
When the 19th Amendment was ratified on Aug. 26, 1920, the status of
many American women didn’t change much. Women in many states already
had full voting rights. Many American Indian and Asian immigrant women
remained disenfranchised because they were denied citizenship. African
American women in the South were still subject to voter-suppression laws.
And because women did not vote as a bloc, their vote rarely influenced
election results.
However, the amendment quickly allowed millions of women to register
Suffragists picketing in front of the White House, 1917
to vote. The National American Woman Suffrage Association became the
League of Women Voters. Male elected officials recognized the potential of this new voting population. And reform-minded women made
their social priorities known. This had a huge impact on the national agenda, including child welfare, women’s health, access to education,
divorce and inheritance equality, labor reform, and more.
Historian Robyn Muncy outlines the amendment’s tumultuous history and how American women of the 1920s “changed the meaning
of womanhood.”
Wed., June 7, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1B0-208; Members $30; Nonmembers $45
More INFORMATION and TICKETS at SMITHSONIANASSOCIATES.ORG and 202-633-3030
31
Past + Present
ANDREW N DIERKS
Gettysburg 101
Gettysburg endures. Whether they wore blue or gray, Americans fought each
other to an outcome that continues to shape the nation today. From the
boulders of Devil’s Den to the heights of Little Round Top, through the
Peach Orchard to the Wheat Field, or across Seminary Ridge to Cemetery
Ridge, Gettysburg is a place where valor mixed with death.
To experience the essence of
this three-day battle, join
historian Gregg Clemmer as he
explores and explains the most
iconic fight of our Civil War in
a full-day excursion. Walk the
Statue of General Warren standing on Little Round Top overfields of Pickett’s Charge, view
looking Devil's Den, Gettysburg National Military Park
the deadly challenges of Culp’s
Hill, and imagine the horrors of Iverson’s Pits. Stops at McPherson’s Woods, Spangler’s
Spring, and the High Water Mark bring to life the history that happened here. Conclude
the day on the spot where Lincoln addressed America’s future.
Sun., July 23, 8 a.m.–7 p.m.; bus departs from the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550
C Street, SW, with a pickup stop at the I-270 Exit 26 Urbana carpool parking
lot at approximately 8:55 a.m.; lunch included at Dobbin House Tavern;
dress appropriately for battlefield walks; CODE 1ND-039; Members $145;
Nonmembers $190
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
By
Popular
Demand
The cemetery gatehouse at Gettysburg, 1863
John F. Kennedy:
1,000 Days in Office
The 1920s: Daring To Be Modern
The Making of an Iconic Presidency
A Stroll Through 1920s Washington
John F. Kennedy was born
100 years ago and died in
1963. But many historians, scholars, journalists
and ordinary Americans
still grapple with both the
man and the myth. He is
etched in the minds of
millions of Americans as a
handsome, brilliant young
president whose potential
was cut short by an
assassin’s bullets. His
inaugural address is conPresident John F. Kennedy, 1961
sidered a model of presidential oratory, and his roles during the Bay of Pigs fiasco
and the Cuban Missile Crisis are still analyzed by historians as prime examples of both failed and successful presidential leadership. His call to national service, support of
the moon landing, and belated but powerful endorsement
of the Civil Rights movement are landmarks of the
American presidency in the 20th century. He was assassinated before completing his ambitious agenda, leaving
Americans to wonder about what might have been.
Tonight, Ken Walsh, chief White House correspondent
for U.S. News & World Report, considers JFK’s legacy and
whether any president could ever again attain his mystique.
The combination of jazz and bootleg booze was an irresistible force in
Prohibition-era Washington, and nowhere in town was the music hotter or
the drinks more plentiful than in Shaw. The clubs and theaters on U Street,
N.W., dubbed the city’s “Black Broadway,” drew audiences to hear headliners like Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, and D.C.-born Edward Kennedy
“Duke” Ellington.
Author and local
historian Garrett Peck
leads a walking tour that
begins at the legendary
Howard Theatre, Shaw’s
cultural centerpiece, then
heads to the sites of several
1920s clubs along U Street,
including the Club
Caverns, Club Bali,
Murray’s Palace Casino,
and the Minnehaha
Howard Theatre, after its renovation, 2012
Theatre.
Learn about the city’s race riot of 1919 and the African American artists,
performers, and poets who turned this neighborhood into a vaunted
nightlife scene rivaled only by Harlem. Conclude by raising a post-walk glass
to the glories of Shaw’s past at Right Proper Brewing.
Wed., June 28, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1H0-247;
Members $20; Nonmembers $30
32
SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES JUNE 2017
ABBIE ROWE/JFK LIBRARY
Jazzy Nights in Shaw
THREE OPTIONS: Thurs., July 6 (CODE 1NW-A06); Wed., July
12 (CODE 1NW-B06); Thurs., July 20 (CODE 1NW-C06), 6–8
p.m.; meet in front of the Howard Theatre, 620 T Street, N.W.
at 6 p.m.; tour involves 1.5 miles of walking; bring a Metro card
for portions that use the subway; each tour lasts 2 hours; Members $35;
Nonmembers $45
Published ticket prices are subject to change, depending on availability.
Honoring the WWI Centennial
Jeb Stuart’s
Ride to
Gettysburg
The Hello Girls
One of the Civil War’s most
brilliant military leaders was
James Ewell Brown (Jeb)
Stuart, whose imagination
and daring led Robert E. Lee
to appoint him commander
of the Army of Northern
Virginia cavalry at the age of
30. A tour led by Civil War
Ed Bearss
historians Ed Bearss and
Gregg Clemmer follows the controversial cavalry operations
of Stuart and his troops during the Gettysburg campaign.
From Rowser’s Ford, where Stuart crossed the Potomac on
June 27 and 28, 1863, follow the raiders’ route north to
Hanover, Pennsylvania. Locations are included where Stuart’s
Confederates captured a Union supply train, routed the 1st
Delaware Cavalry, and battled Gen. Judson Kilpatrick on
June 30.
After lunch, the tour continues to Hunterstown, where Brig.
Gen. Wade Hampton (ordered into position by Stuart)
clashed with Gen. George A. Custer’s Michiganders on July 2,
as well as the site of the July 3 cavalry battle.
Sat., July 8, 7:30 a.m.–7 p.m., bus departs from
the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C St., SW (corner of
6th and C Sts., SW; lunch at Atland House near
Hanover; CODE 1ND-037; Members $150;
Nonmembers $195
June
America’s First Female
Soldiers in War Abroad—
and at Home
The development of the telephone in
the late 19th century created a new job
for women: the switchboard operator.
These highly skilled “wire experts” who
worked at a fast pace became known as
the Hello Girls. When the United States
joined World War I, more than 200
bilingual operators were recruited and
WWI poster, 1918, by Clarence F.
sent to France to staff Army communi- Underwood currently on display in
cations. They were uniquely qualified
the American History Museum
not only to make rapid-fire connections
under battlefield pres-sures, but also to conduct simultaneous translations between American and French officers.
A handul of Hello Girls followed Gen. “Black Jack” Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, serving through shelling
and bombardment. But their return to the States tested a different kind
of valor.
In her book The Hello Girls (Harvard University Press) historian
Elizabeth Cobbs tells the little-known story of how America’s first
women soldiers—unceremoniously discharged in 1920 as civilians—
began a 60-year fight with the Army to be treated as equals of their male
comrades.
The Hello Girls is available for signing.
Wed., July 12, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1B0-210; Members $30;
Nonmembers $45
July
Rhythm & Beats
Galapagos
George
with Barefoot Puppets
Based on the true story of
“Lonesome George,” Barefoot Puppets tell the tale of
a truly one-of-a-kind tortoise
from the Galapagos Islands. This show was funded in part by
a grant from the Puppeteers of America Endowment Fund
and was awarded an UNIMA Citation of Excellence in 2005.
Ages 4-8, Grades PreK–3
Wed.–Fri., June 28–30; 10:30 a.m. and Noon,
Ripley Center, Smithsonian
Follow us on:
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Past + Present
facebook.com/
DiscoveryTheater
Tues.–Fri., July 11–14; 10:30 a.m. and Noon
Ripley Center, Smithsonian; Ages 5-12 | Grades K–6
Summer Magic
Tues.–Fri., July 18–21; 10:30 a.m. and Noon
Ripley Center, Smithsonian
Recommended for Ages 5-12 | Grades K–6
Taratibu!
Wed.–Fri., July 5-7; 10:30 a.m. and Noon
Additional performance Thurs., July 6; 2 p.m.
Ripley Center, Smithsonian
Ages 5-16 | Grades K and up
twitter.com/
SmithsonianKids
SOLE Defined
Tues.–Fri., July 25—28;
10:30 a.m. and Noon
Ripley Center, Smithsonian;
Ages 5-16 | Grades K and up
DiscoveryTheater.org
Generous support for Discovery Theater is provided by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, DC Public
Schools, The Nora Roberts Foundation, Philip L. Graham Fund, PNC Foundation, Smithsonian Women's Committee, Smithsonian Youth Access Grants Program and Sommer endowment.
More INFORMATION and TICKETS at SMITHSONIANASSOCIATES.ORG and 202-633-3030
33
Past + Present
Monarchs for the Ages:
Elizabeth I and Victoria
Cultures of the Ancient World
9:30 a.m. Sumerians and
Babylonians
11 a.m. Eternal Egypt
12:15 p.m. Lunch (participants
provide their own)
1:30 p.m. Crossroads at Canaan
3 p.m. The Hellenic
Transformation
Cuneiform tablet, Umma,
Sumeria, ca. 2100 B.C.)
Sat., July 15, 9:30 a.m.–4:15 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1M2-913;
Members $90; Nonmembers $140
Thurs., July 13, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1H0-254;
Members $30; Nonmembers $45
Location Changes
Our programs occasionally move to a different location from the one published on tickets.
We do our best to inform ticket holders of location changes by mail, phone, and email.
You are advised to confirm the location by calling our customer service staff at 202-633-3030 (M–F; 9–5)
You can also visit SmithsonianAssociates.org for the most up-to-date information.
34
SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES JUNE 2017
Published ticket prices are subject to change, depending on availability.
THE MET
Between them, Sumer and Egypt, two early civilization centers at
opposite ends of the Fertile Crescent, invented writing, accounting,
and astronomy, and diffused and disseminated a variety of cultural
arts to peoples of the Near East. The Sumerians created cuneiform—
the first writing system, which became an international language—
and produced the first literature, epics, law codes, capitalism, and
the ideology of kingship. Their successors, the Babylonians,
perfected the lunar calendar and a
base-60 arithmetic to measure time
and space, which we inherited
through ancient astronomers.
Egyptians created the first enduring
nation-state, arts and architecture,
unique spiritual values, and
concepts of the afterlife that greatly
influenced the Hebrews and Greeks.
They also devised hieroglyphic and
cursive writing systems, the familiar
decimal arithmetic, and a precise
solar year whose revised Roman
version is used as our calendar.
Archaeological research and
Phoenician terracotta jug with
findings now allow us to trace the
inscribed letters, 7th cen. B.C.
evolution of spiritual values, codes
of law, and early science among
these two early cultures, which
provided the foundation for the
development and evolution of
several that followed. Join archaeologist Robert Stieglitz for a fascinating exploration of achievements
that still resonate with us today.
RIT CARY GRAPHIC ARTS COLLECTION
CASTLE MUSEUM, GOTHA, GERMANY
Long did they reign!
Between them, Queen
Elizabeth I and Queen
Victoria ruled England for
more than a century and
define two historically and
culturally significant eras.
Historian Sabrina Baron
illuminates their extraordinary lives and legacies.
Queen Elizabeth I
survived a tumultuous
upbringing—her parents
were Henry VIII and
Anne Boleyn—to usher in
a period of stability and
prosperity. During her
reign (1558–1603)
England defeated the
“The Hampden Portrait” of Queen ElizaSpanish Armada and
embarked on an age of ex- beth I, ca.1563, by Steven van der Meulen
ploration and expansion. Closer to home, William Shakespeare
and Christopher Marlowe were ensuring Elizabethan England’s
“golden age” status.
The Victorian age was a time of relative peace and prosperity.
During her 63-year reign (1837–1901) Queen Victoria expanded
the British Empire,
confirmed the country as
a constitutional
monarchy, opened up
railway systems around
the world, and oversaw
social reforms, including
the abolishment of
slavery and establishment
of child labor laws. As
the Industrial Revolution
was taking hold,
Victorians were reading
books by Charles
Dickens, the Brontes, and
Arthur Conan Doyle,
and delighting in the
comic operas of Gilbert
Queen Victoria, 1845, by Alexander Melville
and Sullivan.
An Evolutionary Exploration from the
Sumerians to the Greeks
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
ABBY ROWE/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Past + Present
Kennedy and King
President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther
King Jr. came from starkly different worlds, but
profoundly influenced each other’s personal development. Kennedy’s hesitation on civil rights
spurred King to greater acts of courage, and King
inspired Kennedy to finally make a moral commitment to equality.
Drawing on his new book, Kennedy and King:
The President, the Pastor, and the Battle Over
Civil Rights (Hachette), journalist and author
Steven Levingston traces the emergence of two
of the 20th century’s greatest leaders and their
powerful impact on each other and the shape of
the Civil Rights movement during its tumultuous
early years.
Kennedy and King is available for purchase
and signing.
John F. Kennedy addresses the nation, 1963
Thurs., July 20, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE
1L0-162; Members $20; Nonmembers $30
Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking at a freedom rally, Washington Temple Church
Honoring the WWI Centennial
Interpreting the Great War
Exhibitions Explore a World-Changing Conflict
Poster designed by James Montgomery Flagg,
1917
Many Washington-area museums are presenting exhibitions in observance of the centennial
of America’s formal entry into World War I. Robert A. Enholm, a global fellow at the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, leads a day-long tour to several of them,
and discusses WWI-related sites in Washington along the route.
Participants have access to the American History Museum before
Smithsonian
opening
hours to view WWI-related exhibits, including Modern
Spotlight
Medicine and the Great War, which examines WWI as a testing
ground for new medical technologies and procedures; Advertising War: Selling Americans on
the Home Front, a collection of poster images used
to mobilize, motivate, and rally patriotism;
Uniformed Women in the Great War, covering the
contributions of volunteers in civilian and military
initiatives; and Gen. John J. Pershing and World War
I, 1917–1918, a re-creation of the war office of the
commander of the American Expeditionary Force.
The day also includes guided tours of the
President Woodrow Wilson House and the Postal
Museum’s exhibition My Fellow Soldiers: Letters
from World War I; and a stop at the Library of
An American soldier writes a letter from the
Congress, to view Echoes of the Great War: American war in Europe, ca. 1918
Experiences of World War I about the upheaval of
world war and its aftermath as Americans confronted it.
Fri., July 21, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; bus departs from the Mayflower Hotel (Connecticut Ave. and De Sales St., NW); there is no
pickup stop; photo ID required; 3-course lunch at Sette Osteria; price includes lunch; CODE 1ND-036; Members $160;
Nonmembers $205
When Does the Program End?
Unless noted, Smithsonian Associates programs run 1.5–2 hours, including Q&A
More INFORMATION and TICKETS at SMITHSONIANASSOCIATES.ORG and 202-633-3030
35
U.S. ARMY MILITARY HISTORY INSTITUTE
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY
In collaboration with the WWI Centennial Commission
Dining in Early Federal Washington
Making Meals—and History
LENI SORENSEN
Past + Present
As Washington, D.C., grew into its own as a capital city in the early 19th century,
political leaders and members of the city’s elite imagined America’s place in history
over fine food and wine. Meanwhile, hostesses, cooks, caterers, and servers responsible for these gatherings were making social and culinary history of their own.
Independent scholar and culinary historian Leni Sorensen brings together
stories of three figures who helped shape the food fashions of Federal-era
Washington. In her prolific correspondence and her novels, Margaret Bayard
Smith vividly chronicled the manners and customs of local society. Her accounts
of the Jefferson table at Monticello offer some of the few menus we have for meals
served there.
Smith’s contemporary Mary Randolph wrote what is considered the first
southern cookbook, The Virginia House-Wife, published in 1824. The sister-in-law
of Martha Jefferson Randolph, she ate the French-inspired foods prepared by
Kitchen at Monticello
enslaved cooks Edith Fossett and Francis Hern at the President’s
House and at Monticello.
With
Born into slavery in 1792, Henry Orr’s professional skills as a public chef, or caterer, earned him acclaim and influence
TASTING among Washington’s hostesses and enabled him to earn enough money to emancipate himself and his family.
Following the program, sample a small bite or two inspired by the period and enjoy a glass of champagne.
Wed., July 26, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1W0-005; Members $35; Nonmembers $50
Daring To Be Modern
The years that followed World War I found the
world fascinated by the new. It was an era
marked by creativity, innovation, and excitement,
fueled by new freedoms and a rush to embrace
the modern. How the 1920s shaped and
defined that modernity—and the decade’s lasting
legacy—provides the focus of a series of
Smithsonian Associates programs in 2017. Join
us for an exhilarating look at a decade that dared.
Culture + Ideas
• 1922—A Literary Watershed, p. 14
Art + Design
• A Day at Winterthur, p. 16
Science + Nature
• Doctor’s Orders: The Growth of the Public
Health Movement, p. 28
Past + Present
• The Women’s Vote: The 19th Amendment
and Its Aftermath, p. 31
• Jazzy Nights in Shaw, p. 32
• Bootleggers, Bathtubs, and Speakeasies,
p. 36
• Baseball’s First Golden Age, p. 38
• The Great Migration, p. 38
36
SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES JUNE 2017
The 1920s: Daring To Be Modern
With
TASTING
Bootleggers, Bathtubs,
and Speakeasies
Tales from Prohibition
Prohibition? What Prohibition?
Americans who wanted to get a
drink during the “dry” Roaring
Twenties didn’t have to work
too hard to wet their whistle.
Savvy drinkers knew which
door to knock on and which
doorman to tip. Often, that
might well include a city’s top
politicians and maybe even a
police chief or two. Join Philip
Greene, co-founder of the
Museum of the American
Cocktail, and author and
historian Garrett Peck, for a
fun and informative look at
America’s not-so-dry era when
the “Noble Experiment” could
turn law-abiding citizens into
scofflaws.
During the evening, taste
Modeling the latest thing in flasks, 1926
such iconic period favorites as
the Rum Runner, Three Mile Limit, Orange Blossom, and the Scofflaw.
Go ahead…it’s perfectly legal.
Tues., Aug. 1, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1H0-251; Members $50;
Nonmembers $65
Published ticket prices are subject to change, depending on availability.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The 1920s
Past + Present
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
D-Day
Success Against the Odds
It is among American military history’s most iconic moments: the landings of thousands of
Allied troops on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. The operation involved thousands of
American troops attempting an amphibious landing on the Normandy coast. As waterlogged
troops struggled ashore headlong into withering enemy fire, “Bloody Omaha” looked for hours
like a military catastrophe. It was an almost-impossible political and logistical nightmare to
conceive and execute, but uncommon acts of bravery, particularly from junior officers, helped
prevent the day from ending in disaster. The American divisions suffered more than 2,000 casualties, but by the end of the day they had succeeded in establishing a foot-hold on the beach.
Christopher Hamner, an associate professor in the department of history and art history at
George Mason University, considers the factors that motivated men on D-Day, which was, for
many, their first experience under fire.
Afterward, participants are invited to view Al Gaspar’s miniature Omaha Beach war-game
battlefield.
Wed., Aug. 2, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1H0-253; Members $30; Nonmembers $45
Overnight
TOUR
Men of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division wade
ashore on Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944
Delightful Destinations
Smithsonian Associates Overnight Tours
Frank Lloyd Wright’s
Urban Vision:
New York City
Design and Architecture
in Focus
The High Line, Philip Johnson’s
Glass House, and Yale
Fri.–Sat., Aug. 4–5
Mark the 150th anniversary of the
architect’s birth with a tour that
takes you to the Guggenheim, a
special Wright exhibition at the Met, and the Frank Lloyd Wright
archives at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library. (p. 18)
Fri.–Sat., Oct. 20–21 (on sale July 1)
Examine the creative synergies between
architecture and design as you spend two
fascinating days in New York City and
Connecticut during the height of autumn’s
beauty.
Leader: Bill Keene
Leader: Bill Keene
An Artful Weekend
in New York
MoMA, the Whitney, and the
New York Botanical Garden
Sun.–Mon., Aug. 27–28
Explore the work of three widely
differing creators—Robert Rauschenberg,
Alexander Calder, and Dale Chihuly in
intriguing exhibits. (p. 23)
Leader: Ursula Rehn Wolfman
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Buffalo
Fri.–Mon., Sept. 8–11
From stunning office buildings to
innovative residences, Wright and
his contemporaries left a legacy of
great architecture in the Queen
City—and early fall in Western New
York is an ideal time to explore it.
(p. 19)
Leader: Bill Keene
Tour content and dates subject to change
Tiffany at the Corning Museum
of Glass
Wed.–Sat., Nov. 8–11
It’s the perfect match for glass
lovers: the leading museum of
glass mounts the first-ever exhibition of Tiffany’s glass mosaics,
focusing on nearly 50 stunning
works from the 1890s to 1920s.
Leader: Sheila Pinsker
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania:
Christmas City
Sun.–Mon., Dec. 3–4
The season sparkles brightest here.
Get in the spirit by browsing at the
traditional Christkindlmarkt and
strolling through the Historic Moravian
Bethlehem District—and discover a
city filled with history.
Leader: TBD
More INFORMATION and TICKETS at SMITHSONIANASSOCIATES.ORG and 202-633-3030
37
Past + Present
The 1920s: Daring To Be Modern
Stengel and Durocher
Baseball’s First Golden Age
Leo Durocher, a
rugged, combative
shortstop and a threetime All-Star, became
a legendary manager
who won three
pennants and the
1954 World Series.
His biographer Paul
Dickson calls him
“one of the most
hated men in the
game, a distinction he New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel and
Leo Durocher, 1961
did little to shed and
much to cultivate.” Casey Stengel, by contrast, is portrayed by
author Marty Appel as “baseball’s greatest character.” Stengel was
quirky, hilarious, and beloved, and led his teams to a spectacular 10
pennants and 7 World Series championships.
Join Dickson and Appel in conversation with attorney and
veteran sportscaster Phil Hochberg for an evening of baseball
stories, tall tales, and history as they discuss the parallel lives of two
baseball greats.
Casey Stengel: Baseball’s Greatest Character (Doubleday) and Leo
Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son (Bloomsbury) are available for
purchase and signing.
Thurs., Aug. 3, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1L0-165; Members
$20; Nonmembers $30
Mon., Aug. 14, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1B0-213;
Members $30; Nonmembers $45
The 1920s: Daring To Be Modern
From World War I through the Civil Rights Movement, more than
six million African Americans left the Jim Crow agrarian South for
the industrial urban North in a movement known as the Great
Migration. Many blacks ended up creating their own communities
within big cities, fostering the growth of a new urban AfricanAmerican culture. The most prominent example was Harlem, a
formerly all-white New
York City neighborhood that by the 1920s
was home to 200,000
African Americans.
The black experience
during this time
became an important
theme in the Harlem
Renaissance artistic
movement. The Great
Migration also began a
new era of increasing
A black family arrives in Chicago from the
South, ca. 1919
political activism
among African Americans who found a
Smithsonian
new place for themselves in public life in
Spotlight
the cities of the North and West.
Spencer Crew, former director of the American History Museum
and professor of history at George Mason University, takes an indepth look at this pivotal movement in American history.
Wed., Aug. 16, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1B0-214;
Members $20; Nonmembers $30
38
SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES JUNE 2017
COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG FOUNDATION
BLACKPAST.ORG
The Great Migration
Patrick Henry
The Forgotten
Founding Father
Though he was enormously influential in his time, Patrick
Henry’s accomplishments—
other than his one great line
“Give me liberty or give me
death”—were subsequently
all but forgotten. Historian
Jon Kukla, author of a new
biography of Henry, discusses
Patrick Henry
why Henry’s contributions to the
nation’s early years merit more attention.
Born in 1736, Henry was an attorney and planter, an outstanding orator on behalf of Independence, and the first governor
of Virginia after independence. After declining to attend the
Constitutional Convention of 1787, Henry opposed the
Constitution, arguing that it granted too much power to the
central government. He pushed for the 10 amendments to the new
Constitution, and then supported Washington and national unity
against the bitter party divisions of the 1790s.
Kukla’s book Patrick Henry: Champion of Liberty (Simon and
Schuster) is available for purchase and signing.
Tues., Aug. 22, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1B0-215;
Members $20; Nonmembers $30
Published ticket prices are subject to change, depending on availability.
NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
Home Runs and Spitballs
Everything about baseball was bigger and more robust during the
1920s. The Negro Leagues were created; baseball received its first
commissioner; and the New York Yankees won their first championship. Even today, the 1927 Yankees, with Babe Ruth and Lou
Gehrig, are considered to be the benchmark against which all
powerful teams are compared.
Teams across the American
and National Leagues ushered
in a new style of play by hitting
home runs in quantity for the
first time. And everything in
baseball took place against the
back-drop of the 1919 Black
Sox Scandal, which threatened
to undermine the game’s credibility and existence.
John McMurray, chair of the
Deadball Era Committee
of the Society for American
Baseball Research, examines
Shoeless Joe Jackson (right, Chicago
this remarkable decade in
White Sox) and Babe Ruth (New York
baseball history.
Yankees), 1920
Past + Present
Historic Chestertown and a Cruise on the Schooner Sultana
The Golden Age
of Steam
Mary, Queen of Scots
Wed., Sept. 13, 6:45 p.m.; Ripley Center; CODE 1M2918; Members $30; Nonmembers $45
Strasburg Rail Excursion
and the Railroad Museum
of Pennsylvania
ED HEATON
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON
Villain or Victim?
On Feb. 8, 1587,
Mary, Queen of
Scots was executed
for treason on the
orders of her
English cousin,
Elizabeth I. It was
a tragic end to a
turbulent life.
Mary became
Queen of Scots
when she was less
than a week old, on
the death of her
father, James, in
Mary, Queen of Scots, by unknown
December 1542.
artist, ca. 1560
When she was
barely out of the cradle, her great-uncle Henry VIII
unsuccessfully sought an alliance between England
and Scotland by ensuring that Mary eventually wed
his young son, Edward. When trouble brewed, Mary
was sent into exile at the French court. Her marriage
at age 17 to the king’s son ended with his untimely
death. Mary returned to Scotland, married the
arrogant—and soon murdered—Lord Darnley, and
then one of Darnley’s accused assassins. Seeking safety
in England, she was instead put in prison, and later
put to death, by a suspicious Queen Elizabeth.
Historian Jennifer Paxton explores Mary’s life to
answer one of history’s enduring questions: Was Mary
a martyr or a failed conspirator?
STRASBURG RAIL ROAD
CHRIS CERINO
century replicas in the world, for a vivid
The Sultana was a Boston-built
picture of working life on the water,
merchant vessel that served for four
including a glimpse at navigational tools
years as the smallest schooner ever in
and original log books. The cruise also
the British Royal Navy. It patrolled
offers an opportunity to learn about the
the coastline of colonial North
ecology of the area and the importance
America from 1768 to 1772
of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
enforcing the hated Townsend Acts
On land, Chris Cerino, Chestertown’s
or “tea taxes.” Its journeys took it to
mayor and vice president of the Sultana
the Chesapeake Bay, and in 2001 the
Education Foundation, leads a walking
Sultana Educational Foundation in
tour of the town’s National Register
Chestertown, Maryland, launched a
Historic District. History abounds on
reproduction of the schooner as a
The 1768 schooner Sultana on the Chesapeake Bay
charming streets dotted with many
key tool in its work to bring the
restored Georgian-style homes.
maritime history of the Chesapeake
region to life, as well as in its environmental science programs.
Sun., Sept. 10; 8 a.m.—6:15 p.m., bus departs from the
TOUR
A 2 ½-hour cruise on the vessel is part of regional historian
Holiday Inn Capitol at 550 C Street, SW, with a pickup
Hayden Mathews’ full-day exploration of the rich heritage of
stop at the New Carrollton Metro Route 50/south-side
Chestertown, located on Kent County, the oldest on the Eastern
Kiss and Ride kiosk at about 8:25 a.m.; local lunch at the
Shore. Step aboard the Sultana, one of the most accurate 18thFish Whistle; CODE 1ND-043; Members $165; Nonmembers $215
A mecca for aficionados of railroad
technology and history, Strasburg,
Pennsylvania, offers the ideal destination for a tour led by rail historian
Lee E. Brenner dining car
Joseph Nevin. Featured in the leisurely
day are a round-trip steam train excursion through the Pennsylvania Dutch
countryside and an afternoon tour of one of America’s finest rail museums.
On arrival, the group boards the Strasburg Rail Road’s Lee E. Brenner dining
car, the only wooden dining coach operating in America today, for lunch in a
setting reminiscent of the golden age of
steam railroading. A 45-minute ride
through rolling countryside offers picturesque views of Amish farms.
Spend the afternoon at the Railroad
Museum of Pennsylvania, where highlights of an in-depth visit include several
historic steam locomotives, the elegant
stateroom of a private car, and a 62-ton
locomotive—under which you can walk.
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Sat., Sept. 16, 8:30 a.m.—
7 p.m.; bus departs from
the Holiday Inn Capitol,
550 C Street, SW, with a stop
at the I-495 Exit 27 carpool lot at about
8:55 a.m.; railroad reserves the right to
substitute coaches and locomotive
power as operating conditions demand;
CODE 1ND-044; Members $155;
Nonmembers $205
More INFORMATION and TICKETS at SMITHSONIANASSOCIATES.ORG and 202-633-3030
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