The Authentic History Center is comprised of artifacts
and sounds from American popular culture. It was created
to teach that the everyday objects in society have authentic
historical value and reflect the social consciousness
of the era that produced them. Authentic also
means conforming to fact, and therefore worthy of trust,
reliance, or belief. To meet this definition by presenting
an authentic interpretation of American history
is our ultimate goal. When a collection is whole enough
to be considered an authentic representation of the
sources produced about an historical event, they are
presented via interpretive essay. Until then, incomplete
collections are presented as digital archives without
comment for individual study. Additionally, a large
audio archive of speeches and news broadcasts are presented
for students to experience a level of historical authenticity
distinct from written sources. The Authentic History
Center is an ambitious
work-in-progress and always will be. |
