The recent Presidential election will have an impact upon public
history. In this present economy there is a level of uncertainty. Politics play
a part in the economy. Right now there is a deadlock in Washington with
Republicans and Democrats fighting over what should be the top priority. More
revenue or fewer taxes is what they are arguing over. This does not help public
historians that much.
Museums and
archives affiliated with the government depend on government aid to
survive. They are at the mercy of the politicians. As keepers of peoples'
memories and important government documents, museums and archives are essential
to society. Politicians need to realize this. They need to fund the
preservation of materials associated with D-Day and Pearl
Harbor continuously. If they stop funding, Pearl Harbor and D-Day will
just be footnotes to future generations. These future generations will want to
visit monuments to D-Day and Pearl Harbor for a sense of history. If these
artifacts are not properly preserved, be left to decay or destroyed then future
generations may view Pearl Harbor and D-Day as mythical events.
Future politicians can never use History as an argument if these
important sites are not there.
From a careers
perspective, a majority of records management jobs are available in
institutions affiliated with the government. It is still vital to
keep records pertaining to social security, birth, and citizenship records.
Even in tough economic times they are essential because future generations want
access to them as a way of connecting to the past. Public history is an
alternative career option to the traditional teaching career. Right now people with
PhDs can't find a teaching position. Teaching history in a college setting is
scarce. Politicians should not close the Public History career path in
government to those that want them. Public History students can make a
difference for government.
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