THE HOGGATTEER REVOLUTION
  • Homeroom
  • Orientation
    • Class Handbook
    • Families: The Wind Beneath Our Wings
    • Meet the Teacher
    • Place in the World
    • Teachers: File Cabinet
  • Positivity
    • Earn Your Wings
    • G.R.O.S.S.
    • Insightful Poetry
    • Inspirational Prose
    • Meaningful Quotes
    • Positive Behavior Conversations
  • Exploration
    • Celebrate Good Times (Come On)
    • Cerebral Cinema >
      • Hoggatt-Made Videos
      • Mood Music
      • Music Appreciation
      • Positive Behavior Conversations
    • Coursework >
      • Cultivating America
      • Focus on Science
      • Let's Communicate
      • M4+HEM4+1C5
      • Missouri, USA
      • Recess Bell
      • Scripture Studies

Washington Meets Truman

9/27/2018

0 Comments

 
Today, September 27, 2018, is the fifth anniversary of the $106.4 million, 45,000-square-foot Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington.  Just thee days ago, I drove to Independence, Missouri, to celebrate with the folks from Mount Vernon at the Harry Truman Presidential Library (which, ironically, opened more than 60 years before the Washington facility.
Picture
During the trip I took on Monday to visit the Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri I had the opportunity to quickly tour the facility before our scheduled activities to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, Virginia.  I was excited to see the temporary exhibit that now takes up a great space in the lower level - Harry Truman's time in the first World War.  Amazingly, Harry Truman is the only president to have served during WW1.

I am sorely deficient in WW1 history, but I found this portion of the museum to be compelling, with actual objects from the Truman collection on display.  This was my second visit to the museum, but there were many items of interest that I had not seen before - the future president's pistol, uniform, WW1 chest and supplies, hat, medals, and stirrups.

The mock-up of Truman's Oval Office seems resoundingly non-modern and, honestly not very classy, but that may be because the 33rd president actually used the space more as a working platform and less as a movie set.

​Connections to George Washington abound to a person who, just last month, spent five days at Mount Vernon.  I couldn't help contrast the tombs.  While George and Martha are on top of the ground and inside a brick structure, Harry and Bess are at ground level and outdoors. Each of the areas have both humble and majestic qualities.

While the actual-size statues at each museum depict men with great leadership abilities, the difference in physical stature is immense.  I could not help but picture Washington's 6'2" frame standing beside the 5'8" Truman.  The four inches is noticeable.

​I found myself, once again, staring at the beam suspended above me, knowing that when Harry Truman renovated the White House around the turn of the 1950 decade, this beam structure was removed and replaced (along with the entire interior layout of the presidential mansion).
Picture
I feel as if this beam somehow makes a connection with Washington, even though Washington never lived in the White House.  It is, at the very least, a connection between the two eras.

Finally, a great portion of the permanent display at the Independence facility includes a nod to the Second World War, and whether or not dropping atomic bombs on Japan was the right or the wrong decision - It has to be the most well-known of Truman's presidency - and I couldn't help but wonder how Washington would have led differently during WW2.  There is no way of knowing, but there are some inherent truths that one must consider when employing the use of conjecture such as this.

Of course, the technologies of war (airplanes, ships, submarines, radios, telephones, and weaponry) would have dictated certain changes in Washington's strategy.  Would Washington have led his men into the battlefields of Japan or would he have communicated strategic positions from afar? Would have used the planes to cross the Pacific as aggressively as he used boats and ferries to cross the icy Delaware River?  And, of course, would Washington have come to the same conclusion to drop A-bombs on the enemy?  It is enough of a puzzle to keep a historian's mind spinning.
Truman's WW1 Pistol
Truman's WW1 Uniform
Truman Photographed in Uniform
Truman's Medals
Pistols Used in Failed Assassination Attempt
Secret Service Pistol Used in Response to Assassination Attempt
Truman's Oval Office
Presidential and First Lady Tombs
Artwork Based on WW2 Bombs
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Anthem

    The Hoggatteer Revolution
    is
    an extensive,
    award-winning, 
    inimitable,
    digital platform
    for Encouraging
    ​and Developing
    ​the Arts and Sciences

    in the beautiful, friendly

    LAND OF THE FREE
    AND THE HOME
    ​OF THE BRAVE
    This site is described as
    "a fantastic site... chockablock full of interesting ideas,
    hilarious ane
    cdotes,
    and useful resources."
    Picture
    Picture
    ...to like, bookmark, pin,
    ​tweet, and share

    about us...and check in regularly for updates, posted before DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT, daily!
    Picture

    Intercom

    GigSalad Member Since 2022
    Book Mr. Hoggatt Securely
    ​for Your Event
    ​at GigSalad.com.

    Picture
    Follow @DEdHoggatt

    Email Mr. Hoggatt
    Picture

    Trophy Case

    Picture
    Selected Participant for 2020-2022
    Picture
    Selected Honoree/Celebrant, 2022
    Picture
    Outstanding Achievement, 2022
    Picture
    Nominated, January 2022
    Picture
    2021 Missouri History Teacher of the Year and National History Teacher of the Year Nominee
    Picture
    Recognized in Joplin Globe, February 2021
    Picture
    Teacher Institute Participant, 2019
    Picture
    Ancestry Classroom Grant, Since 2018
    Picture
    Summer Residency Participant, 2018
    Picture
    "The Bus Stops Here" Grant, November 2018
    Picture
    Summer Residency, 2018
    Picture
    Recognized 2017
    Since 2017
    Picture
    MSTA Media Award, KOAM-TV's "Manners Matter", Featuring Our Class, May 2017
    Picture
    Third Place, 2016 Film Festival
    Picture
    Recognized 2016
    2014 Recipient
    Picture
    Slide Certified, 2012
    Picture
    2009 Outstanding Class Website
    Picture
    2005 Nominee
    Picture
    2005 Joplin Teacher of the Year and Missouri Teacher of the Year nominee
    Picture
    2004 Recipient
    Picture
    2002 Excellent Education Program
    Picture
    2001 Nominee
    Picture
    1996 Outstanding Classroom Video
    Picture
    Grant Recipient, 1993

    Picture

    Fireside Chats

    Picture
    Choose Your Platform:
    Anchor
    ​Apple Podcasts (iTunes)
    Breaker
    Google Podcasts
    ​
    Overcast
    Pocket Casts
    RadioPublic
    Spotify
    Stitcher
    Picture

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Picture

    Checks & Balances

    Links to external sites
    on the internet are for convenience only.

    No endorsement or approval of any content, products, or services is intended.

    Opinions on sites are not necessarily shared
    by Mr. Hoggatt
    (In fact, sometimes
    Mr. Hoggatt doesn't agree with anyone.)
    Picture

The Hoggatteer Revolution

H

O

P

E