Friday, May 31, 2013

Nationalist Values Hidden in our Historic Landscape by: Melody Galvez & Annie Jones

How we view our nation and what we take pride in is largely influenced by what we choose to acknowledge in our country's history. What we portray as heritage or history in this area gives us a sense of who belongs and accordingly, what we leave out of our modern portrayals helps specify who or what is not traditionally "American". Our day to day practices recreate what we value as Americans, in this sense the landscapes in and around the Historic Triangle reinforce and define American values. Through our photos we attempt to demonstrate which values have been chosen and therefore preserved in the landscape for generations to come.

This statue of George Washington demonstrates the importance we place on the values our country was founded on.
The mural hides the work it does my employing silhouettes, therefore leaving history open for interpretation.
History is written by the victors, demonstrated by the Victory Monument in Yorktown.
This preserved jail cell in Yorktown shows the importance of justice and how we value American dominance. 
Lanscapes are a site of investment, here at the Philanthropy Wall in Williamsburg individual capital investment is preserved and valued.
All fifty flags are flown at a national founding site, Jamestown, implicating that although most states were not actually founded at the time, the memory has been reproduced to share the history for all Americans.
The monument commemorates religious heroes but the landscape keeps our militaristic violence in the background. 

We keep our past history alive, the ever burning flame is a symbol of how those who fought in Vietnam will forever be remembered in the states.

 African American heritage is hardly acknowledged in our early history, here this simple sign is attributed to the early residents of African descent.
 America's first district house has been well preserved and still is a current site of political activity, political participation is and always will be essential to the American way of life.
 The Cappahosic house is memorialized for John Smith's presence here, only a single sentence makes recognition of the Native Americans that once owned this land.
Naturalization of memorialized history in our every day landscape.


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