Themes in American History

Barnum provides viewers how entertainment was in the 19^th century. In the 21^st Century, entertainments consist of  TVs and movies, an entertainment realm where our mind can create endless ideas giving birth to stories like Harry Potter and Twilight.  But in  the 19^th Century people were not interested in endless ideas [that style of thinking gains traction during the Victorian era] but interested in the unexplained. The 19^th Century was all about observing people that were different and considered defects. Barnum was able to exploit that interest and provide showmanship for the people of New York. For example Miss Anna Swam was considered different because she was taller than an average male. In the realm of the 19^th Century this will be considered inhuman due to the majority of the population did not experienced

Eight Feet Tall

Anna Swam growth. The citizens of 19^th Century America liked that God world was being challenged. That a human can physically go beyond their limits that seemed only possible if you were Jesus himself, whom turned water into wine. So when Barnum cons the public that Joice Heth was over a hundred years old. That captured public interest that humans can live long or something abnormal is at play. Even to add on to that was her relation to George Washington. Now more people can learn about their first president from someone who lived during his time and had a connection toward him.

The Museum tells me about the Cultural history of New York City was that public was into the theatrics that allowed society to think about themselves and life. And being abnormal or defect was something not to be ashamed of but spirited due to the wide interest.

The museum was good. My opinion is the museum greatest strength if you love history is it gives you a world of our past that is so much different than today. The weakness is that the second floor was where most of entertainment was. The other floor did not have much.

Tags: Abnormal, Barnum, museum

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