The Power of Nazi Progaganda

September 3, 2015 - I visited the "State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda" exhibit at the history museum.  I brought my "nice" camera into the museum - but the lens cap must've jammed because I wasn't able to get it off!  However, I was able to get a few photos with my phone:

An early dramatic poster of Hitler's name and face conveyed the sense of strength and determination that Germany needed.

Photographs of Hitler practicing oratorical poses to produce a dramatic effect

A copy of Mein Kampf

I took part in the phone tour throughout the exhibit and received a couple phone calls and was texted some provoking questions about the Nazi's use of propaganda and its power today.

The Nazi Party was brilliant in how they employed the latest technology and art to sway public opinion:

The Hitler Youth

This table illustrates the laws in place used to track your genetic family tree to determine whether you were Arrayan enough to be a citizen of the third-reich and be permitted to marry.

Caricaturing the Jews as being the masterminds controlling the Allies

Jews were eventually forced to wear this star that said "Jew"

There were photos that someone took from their front yard of Jews wearing this star and being led to train cars where they were never heard from again.

The Nuremberg Trials

George Washington & Mr. Ford

December 29, 2012 – I can’t believe I never posted this!
Today, Mr. Ford took my brothers and I out to the St. Louis History Museum to see an exhibit on George Washington.

The exhibit told the story of Washington from his upbringing, to surveying, to the French and Indian War, the Battle of Monongahela and Fort Necessity.

It’s hard to describe what a treat it was to tour an exhibit on one fathers in the founding era of our nation - with the historian and antiquarian, Mr. Ford!  He knows so  much about the writings of the time and about the founders, that several people were subtly following Mr. Ford as he gave us an impromptu history tour.

This incredible diorama shows the house and the surrounding buildings of Mt. Vernon

I liked how a significant portion of the exhibit was dedicated to the estate of Mt. Vernon.  George Washington's role in the military and politics really overshadowed his role as an agricultural innovator and businesses man.  He originally had been growing tobacco, but found it unprofitable, so he experimented with over 60 different kinds of crops.  He also built a new grist mill that ground corn meal and flour.

Cutaway showing how the gristmill operated

This shows how the exterior of the Mt. Vernon home were designed to look like stone.

1) Boards were cut and beveled to resemble stone blocks

2) A ship’s varnished was applied to seal the wood

3) The first coat of white paint is applied

4) Finish coat of paint is applied and thrown sand is applied

After the War of Independence, the rule of the new country was really George Washington’s if he’d wanted it, but instead he went back home to enjoy the benefits of the very thing he had been fighting for.

Being sworn in as the first President of the United States

Incidentally, this exhibit probably had the most-depth information on Washington’s teeth (or lack of them.)  They had several of his dentures and had a timeline of Washington’s dental history.

Civil War in Saint Louis

While we were at the History Museum with Mr. Ford (this post is a sequel to a post I haven’t written yet ), we also visited the exhibit on the Civil War in Missouri.  We’d studied the Civil War last year, but it would be neat to learn the history specifically in Missouri and even more specifically in Saint Louis.

Birthplace of the Free Population of Saint Louis City and County for 1860

(Total Population 186,178)

United States: 90,092

Missouri: 57,634

Foreign Countries 96,086

Germany 50,510

The exhibit made the point that Missouri was a divided state, but it seemed to me that most of the state was Confederate and it was the city of Saint Louis that was the most divided (at least until the Camp Jackson affair and the riot.)   Much of this division was contributed by the heavy population of immigrants, primarily from Germany.  They were mostly Catholic and some of them were refugees from the failed Revolution of 1848 in the German states.  This revolution had a somewhat liberal bent and was strongly nationalistic, which may explain why German-Americans were the largest ethnic contingent to serve in the Union Army.  And the only other state that contributed the most German-Americans to the Union Army over Missouri was New York.

Missouri’s governor, Claiborne Jackson was a strong advocate for secession, but the Missouri General Assembly voted it down and decided to remain neutral.  Meanwhile, Lincoln requested that Missouri provide 3,123 troops to attack the Confederacy and Gov. Jackson gave him this bold reply:

There was a Federal Arsenal in Saint Louis where all of the armaments were held and Governor Jackson made secret plans to place the arsenal's 39,000 small arms into the hands of the Missouri Volunteer Militia.  Governor Jackson called up the militia for maneuvers just outside Saint Louis, at Camp Jackson.  These maneuvers was perfectly legitimate, but the commander of the arsenal,  Union Captain Nathaniel Lyon, surrounded the camp with 6,000 Union troops and placed the 669 militia men under arrest when they would not take the oath of allegiance to the Federal government.
  One of the German militia “clubs” of Saint Louis

This was the Missouri state flag from Camp Jackson

They were marched back into Saint Louis as prisoners under guard of the Union German volunteers.  The sight of this march enraged many in the city and a riot broke out wherein 28 people died and up to 100 were wounded.  The “Camp Jackson Affair” polarized much of Missouri and Saint Louis and the riot in which some women and children were killed, influenced many to embrace secessionist views.
  Well, to make this a short story…after an unsuccessful meeting with the Union Captain,  Nathaniel Lyon, Governor Jackson was chased across Missouri to Jefferson City where he escaped with some of the Missouri General Assembly to Southern Missouri near the Arkansas border.  It was here in Neosho that the remnants of the General Assembly and the Governor voted to secede from the Union and to join the Confederacy, even though they didn’t control the state or its capitol.  However, this is how Missouri got its own star on the Confederate flag, because it attempted an unsuccessful secession.

  Governor Gamble

    Meanwhile, Union troops had captured Jefferson City and a provisional state legislature was formed.  Former Missouri Supreme Court Justice and Unionist, Hamilton Rowan Gamble, was placed as Governor of Missouri and he complied with Lincoln’s call for troops.
  The city of Saint Louis was placed under martial law during the war and was a major Union resupply point for the armies in the Western theater and helped ensure that the Union army would control the Mississippi river during the war.  However, even though they were under Union control many of the people who lived in the city were southern sympathizers and helped smuggle supplies and prisoners out of Saint Louis.

Map of Saint Louis showing the major buildings and military installations including the Federal Arsenal.  Many of the older roads that exist today are also on this map.

   That was a very watered-down, short story version of one of the most pivotal points in Missouri’s (and specifically Saint Louis’) history.  The exhibit had a lot of information from the important events leading up to the war (such as the border ruffians, Bleeding Kansas and the Dred Scott decision) to the battles and skirmishes in Missouri throughout the war.

Texas Civil War

  On our last day in Texas we went wanted to do a little sight seeing and got tickets for the Texas Civil War Museum in Dallas.

Stonewall looks upon the gift shop

  There was a short film we watched before going in to the galleries that discussed Texas’ contribution to the War Between the States.

The Union items were in the left display cases and the Confederates were in the right…

…that can be taken more than one way!

“It is well that war is so terrible, else men would learn to love it too much.”

–Robert E. Lee

Throughout the museum they had these little “Was the South Ready for War?” informational boards that showed the great disparity of resources between the north and south.

Infantry Firearms Production

North: 1,449,369

South: 62,326

Population

North: 19,021,927

South (Total): 12,128,078

South (White): 8,177,547

South (Slave): 3,950,531

Union Infantry Rifles                     Bullets used by a Whitworth Rifle

   I never realized just how large the calibers (size of the bullet) were on these rifles; it makes the frequency of amputations a little more understandable.  I think that the most common caliber was a .58 which is humongous compared to our modern military cartridge which is a .223.  Thank goodness they were still (for the most part) single-shot rifles.  The casualties of this war were still enormous, but machine guns and artillery would do their damage in the bloody battles of the Great War.

  On this sword handle is the name of John W. Tucker from Guilford County, North Carolina.  Found this interesting because Tucker is my mother’s maiden name and genealogy work has shown that we have a lot of family roots in Rowan County, North Carolina (less than 60 miles away from Guilford).

 

 

Shows the various corps badges used by the Union Army.  I thought that this photo would be a great reference.

1st Edition of Uncle Tom’s Cabin                    More great weapons!

Field gear used by Union troops

“SAY CHEESE!”  Definition: A phrase used to request that the subject of a photo pose with their hand in their coat.  Be sure not to smile.

 

Battle flags

A gorgeous and very costly sword give to General U.S. Grant from the State of Kentucky.

Special display on General JEB Stuart – featuring a lock of his hair that his wife clipped on the day he died.

  The Artillery Room                                        Rifled Projectiles

 

  I think we all got (at least) a few goose bumps when we looked at the medical display

 

Yes, this is an “Amputation Set”

“Was the South Ready for War?”

Wartime Navy Enlistments

US Navy: 132,000

CS Navy:    6,000

Active Commissioned Warships, Jan 1 1865

US Navy: 618

CS Navy:  47

The USS Constitution “Old Ironsides”

  I guess you could say we have a bit of a connection with this ship . We’ve been on its decks in Boston Harbor and one of my favorite dances, “Hull’s Victory,” was a commemorative dance for one of the USS Constitution’s victories.

  It was good to know that the USS Constitution wasn’t directly involved against the South or in the naval blockade, but it was used as a training ship for Union sailors.

Learning about the history of the USS Constitution from David Botkin in 2009

This fantastic diorama depicts the Battle of Palmito Ranch in Texas and it was the last battle fought in the War Between the States on May 13, 1865.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  At this point we entered the Victorian Dresses Gallery which featured amazing original dresses from 1860 to 1890.

 

  The cases were placed in chronological order, so it was interesting to see how the fashions changed decade to decade.  Still, the amount of change was very small compared to today’s here today, gone tomorrow (and back again in 25 years) fashions.

  Just HAD to take a picture of this swimsuit!

  Overall, the amount of original items-especially clothing-was extraordinary, and the history was balanced between the North/South-with a special emphasis on Texas.  This museum was started by a husband and wife (the Richeys) who became interested in collecting items and clothing from the Civil War and were eventually able to open their own museum.

8/3/12