Museums, memorials, and organizations of the post-World War II era were typified by their emphasis on democracy and American ideals. As an element of cold war culture, commemorations bolstered appreciation for American traditions at a time when communism seemed to be an increasing threat. Commemorative activities were especially aimed at instilling democratic values in young people of the BABY BOOM generation, who would be responsible for sustaining the freedom that their parents and grandparents fought two world wars to maintain.
The 1950s and 1960s were a key period for major anniversaries of events associated with the founding of the country. With the 175th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1951, the 175th anniversary of the Constitution in 1962, and the 175th anniversary of the Bill of Rights in 1966, the time was ripe for a reaffirmation of democratic ideals. These documents also were part of the Freedom Train exhibition (1947-49), which toured the United States and offered Americans the opportunity to view the founding documents.
New commemorative organizations blossomed. Groups such as the Advertising Council (1942) and the American Heritage Foundation (1947) explained, celebrated, and commemorated the democratic foundations of the United States. At the local level, groups such as the Lions Clubs, Jaycees, and American Legion posts were essential to the spread of small-town democracy. They sponsored festivals for national events such as Constitution Day, Armistice Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. With youth essay contests and family-friendly events, these democratic holidays became family as well as national traditions. One such celebration was “I am an American Day,” which started in 1940 and was mandated by Congress to be the third Sunday in May. This day encouraged people to embrace American citizenship, whether obtained by reaching the age of majority or by naturalization, because youth and immigrants were considered most vulnerable to outside influences, namely the communists. This commemoration continued on the local and national level through the late 1940s. At that time, the day lost most of its appeal, as the organizers began to feel that the outside enemy of communism was too large to be quashed with a single day of festivity.
The National Park Service (NPS), administered by the Department of the Interior since passage of the 1935 Historic Sites Act, sought to protect sites related to the nation’s founding and expansion. For example, Independence Hall and other historic buildings in Philadelphia became features of Independence National Historical Park, authorized by Congress on June 28, 1948. The park commemorates the nation’s struggle for independence and the birthplace of the United States government. The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri, commemorates the spirit of westward expansion and the American ideal of exploration. This memorial, designated by the federal government in 1935, grew to include the distinctive Gateway Arch (authorized in 1954 and dedicated in 1968). The memorial highlights Jefferson as a leader in westward expansion as well as the pioneers who ventured into the 19th-century frontier. With parks such as these, NPS efforts to educate the public about both history and preservation grew during the 1940s and 1950s. With the Interstate Highway System providing ease of travel to motorists, family TOURISM to explore American heritage increased.
Families soon had another destination to add to their list. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill granting the Smithsonian Institution $36 million for construction, leading to the opening of the Museum of History and Technology in 1964. This museum, later renamed the National Museum of American History, collected and displayed the history of the United States and was the sixth building in the Smithsonian complex.
Historic sites established earlier in the century, such as Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, also aided in the promotion of democratic values. In 1949, for example, Colonial Williamsburg held a contest in which high school students wrote essays entitled “I Speak for Democracy” and organized a “Democracy Workshop” in 1951. Colonial Williamsburg also sponsored an “International Assembly” in the late 1950s for foreign graduate students studying in the United States. The goal of this program was to relate the ideals of democracy to these students before they returned to their native country.
Younger children in American grammar schools were taught to respect the ideals of democracy as well. In 1954, President Eisenhower opted to add the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance recited by school students each day. This linked American students to both democratic and spiritual values. Again, this sought to strengthen convictions and therefore make Americans less vulnerable to outside influences.
New presidential libraries, organized by private supporters and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, were dedicated to the men who held the highest democratic office in the land. These libraries act not only as repositories for presidential archives and memorabilia but also as destinations for Americans. Starting with the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library in 1940, these complexes have stood as reminders of the triumph and tragedy that characterized the term of each man.
With World War II such a recent event in the lives of Americans, monuments to commemorate the veterans’ fight for freedom also served to honor and defend the American way of life. One such war monument was the Iwo Jima Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, dedicated in 1954. This monument, a bronze representation of the famous Joe Rosenthal photo of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima, became a destination for veterans and school children alike.
In its many forms, commemoration in the United States during the cold war era helped to combat the communist foe by linking local communities and citizens to the values of democracy and freedom.
Further reading: Richard M. Fried, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!: Pageantry and Patrio-tis-m in Cold-War America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998); Benjamin Hufbauer, Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory (Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2005); Michael Kam-men, Mystic Chords of Memory: The Transformation of Tradition in American Culture (New York: Vintage Books, 1991).
—Beverly Kendall Gordon
World History
