October 2nd Essay

Some of the reasons put forth in regards to the America’s lack of connection to community and history relate to the mobility that we as a people have had since the 1800’s. The yearning of pioneers to explore the western trails and seek what treasures and land exist beyond the horizon to the easy access to transportation from trains to automobiles have led Americans to always be on the move. This creates a detachment from a single place or community due to always being on the move.  The sociologist Fei Xiaotong once said “Americans lived in an eternal present, a “World without ghosts”, which sums up how even today we have a detachment from our history and community because of being on the move in search for the new and thus allowing us to forget about the time invested in a single place. This ties in with the secondary reason, which relates to political and economic issues involving jobs and stability in life. As a culture, the hunt for economic stability relates to our geographic location but also the political environment. When the economic or political tides shifts, as a culture we become like the pioneers and seek out where the opportunities are and thus cause us to not attach ourselves to a given place so that when that shift happens, we can move on without being tethered to a given location.

Glassberg doesn't really agree with this sentiment due to his idea of a sense of place relating to our internal emotions and memories of a place. In a given place, even if we inhabit it for a short amount of time, we will still create memories and emotions regarding the particular place or its surroundings. These feelings or memories will attach us to it in some way and in the progress of time we depart from it, we will still have these feelings upon our return because we will remember them. An example comes from a friend who moved to Beavercreek with her family during her childhood years. She was here until the eighth grade but unfortunately since her family was military moved to Germany for the next five and a half years. During her time away she still had a sense of place here in Beavercreek due to her memories that she had made while here. Upon her return to go to college, these memories came flooding back and she felt right at home. She maintained that sense of place because of her memories and even though she has moved three more times, she maintains this sense of place in Beavercreek because of those memories. The places that we connect with and create memories and a past with ultimately allow us to create this “sense of place” within it. Now Glassberg may not completely agree with it but at the same time he may not completely disagree with. The six axioms of thinking about place in America puts into some accounts about how a “sense of place” can be established yet through all of it the foundation of his meaning still comes through even though questions do arise.

The “Sense of Place” had a lot to do with the failure of Disney America due to the reaction to the public as well as historians. As it was mentioned by Wallace that “Original Walt’s approach to the past was thus not to reproduce it, but improve it”, this would not be the case with Michael Eisner’s project of Disney America which would show American history as it was and counter the parks such as Colonial Williamsburg that still did not fully replicate the past as it was because of the omission of racial themes and slavery that was present at the time. This didn't sit well because of the feelings and sentiments towards these themes especially with the public view and their sense of history.  In the process of planning this, the site that they wanted to was near the Manassas National Battlefield Park, which stirred up unwanted controversy for Disney. The site would have tampered with the “sense of place” for the community near and around the site, which backlash from them started, then historians followed and the preservation of the Historic site became essential to the point where house members got involved. The end result was the historical site and the community’s feelings towards the site prevailed and Disney America was essentially dead in the water.