“Dig it! The Secrets of the Soil!” Smithsonian Online Exhibition

               The Smithsonian website offers online materials, exhibitions, and research opportunities for adults and kids who aren’t able to visit the Washington D.C. onsite locations. Some of the exhibitions, even past exhibitions, are able to be accessed completely online; complete with video tours, interactive games, and mountains of information. One of their very interesting exhibits entitled “Dig it! The Secrets of the Soil!” was on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from July 18, 2008 through Jan 10, 2010 and is now available for viewing completely online.[1] This exhibit focuses on educating people about what soil is, its purpose, what makes it interesting, and why it is important to us.

            The exhibit begins by explaining what soil is. It explains that, “Soil makes life, and life makes soils…soils breathe”[2] A quote by Wallace H. Fuller from Soils of the Desert Southwest says, “A cloak of loose, soft material, held to the earth’s hard surface by gravity, is all that lies between life and lifelessness.”[3] The Smithsonian really paints a portrait of soil as being a living and breathing thing, it mentions that soils are born, age, and are lost. Soil is made up of air, water, minerals, and organic matter (both living and non-living).[4] The exhibit features information on how all of these components mix to create different types of soil. It also features information on each type of soil from different parts of the United States. The exhibit goes on to explain how scientists make soil monoliths; “a monolith, or vertical slice from topsoil down to the subsoil, preserves a soils colors and layered horizons in position.”[5] These monoliths act as tools to view how soil is created, changed, and settls over time. One of the most important issues this exhibit covers is the importance of soil in our lives by allowing a place for plants to grow that feed us, filter pollution, and create oxygen for us to breath. Soils are literally the foundations on which we build our lives. The exhibit ends by offering suggestions on how farmers can reduce the risk of over farming their soil and how plowing and fertilizing crops affects our environment.

            To keep the exhibit fun and interesting it offers many different interactive videos and games. One of the most interesting sections of the exhibit features ‘soil recipes’. These ‘recipes’ are created using soil and other ‘ingredients’ like elements, plants, bacteria, temperature, and climate changes. For example, the “New England Sandy Surprise” (creating a forest of white ash, American breech, sugar maple, and red spruce) would be ‘created’ by adding sand with iron and other elements, evergreen trees such as spruce or fir, water, bacteria and fungi, and cold winters & warm summers.[6] It offers the ‘directions’ to, “simmer in a cool, humid climate of 3,000 years, keep covered with vegetation, add water to the soil surface and let seep down.”[7] This section also offers a video of two chefs who compete to create the most creative soil concoction. It also features games on soil monoliths, state soil facts, greenhouse gas calculator, and more-all conveniently available on the ‘media resources’ tab and printable educational resources under the ‘for educators’ tab. 

            The Smithsonian website features information on all of the scientists and researchers who had a part in making this exhibit come to life. Dennis Whigam, Patrick Megonigal, and Melissa McCormick of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Douglas Ming a planetary scientist from NASA, and Laurel Hartley an ecologist from Michigan State University just to name a few. The online exhibit doesn’t offer many primary and secondary resources for their work other than consistently citing their photos and quotes from novels. They do however offer related titles and websites for further research and discovery. Smithsonian credits the exhibit to NASA (who funded the project) and the site manager Siobhan Starrs and curator Patrick Megonigal.

            Overall the exhibit is extremely effective at telling the history it is relating to the public, especially children. Through its use of interactive games and videos, it engages the audience and maintains a high level of interest. It makes the science and history behind soil relatable to modern people as well imparting the importance of soil protection for future generations. Online exhibitions allow history and science to be presented to the masses on a scale never before seen in history. People with internet connections can visit the Smithsonian website and get information on a thousand different topics at their fingertips. It is an amazing resource for adults and children to better understand their past, present, and future.

Work Cited:

Smithsonian. “Dig It! the Secrets of the Soil!” Accessed December 14, 2014.http://forces.si.edu/soils/.

Smithsonian. “Making a Soil Monolith.” Accessed December 14, 2014.http://forces.si.edu/soils/02_03_02.html.

Smithsonian. “Soil Recipe Book.” Accessed December 14, 2014.http://forces.si.edu/soils/swf/recipebook.html.

Smithsonian. “What Is Soil?” Accessed December 14, 2014.http://forces.si.edu/soils/02_01_00.html.

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[1] “Dig It! the Secrets of the Soil!,” Smithsonian, accessed December 14, 2014, http://forces.si.edu/soils/index.html.

[2] “What Is Soil?,” Smithsonian, accessed December 14, 2014, http://forces.si.edu/soils/02_01_00.html.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid., slide three.

[5] “Making a Soil Monolith,” Smithsonian, accessed December 14, 2014, http://forces.si.edu/soils/02_03_02.html.

[6] “Soil Recipe Book,” Smithsonian, accessed December 14, 2014, http://forces.si.edu/soils/swf/recipebook.html.

[7] Ibid. 

How can you define History?

My first discussion in this new semester! Hist 294: Historiography

What are the various ways we can define history?

How and why can the definition of history change?

To define history would be to define humankind, an impossible task. To start in a rudimentary way, the word history itself stems from a Greek word and it means, “Learning through Inquiry”.[1] Over time the definition of history has changed and evolved, just as those who create it, study it, and live it. History has been documented since the dawn of time, in people’s on way of course, whether being passed down by word of mouth or written down in historical texts, drawn on walls, tablets and fabrics and more recently blogs, webpages, and social media. The AHA, American Historical Association, defines history as, “The never ending process whereby people seek to understand the past and its many meanings”.[2] Most importantly, the most crucial part of defining history depends on the person who is defining it. Your personal beliefs, philosophies, culture, religion, gender, age, and many other factors come into account when you are setting the boundaries for what history means to you.

There seem to be two major views when defining what history is and how people study it, to over simplify both; the chronicled and the scientific. In early humankind history was told through stories but as our species and our intellect grew, so did out need for proof and facts.

The first view uses a less ‘scientific’ approach to history. The historians that use this method aren’t specifically interested or dominated by ‘sources’. Mythopoetic narratives are poems, stories, songs, and all nature of ‘handed down’ history. They are dominated by celestial beings, historical heroes, important political figures and all manner of bold and interesting tales and people. These narratives do not include scientific proof or evidence for their history, they are peoples way of explaining their past and present. An important and popular example would be the bible. There are three primary features of mythopoetic narratives; a mythical view of space and time, a belief in the eternal recurrence of ‘cycles’ of events, and the absence of any notion of the historic capacity of man to fashion what we call ‘progress’.[3] Our History and Historians book mentions, “That although definitions and points of emphasis have changed overtime, written narratives have always centered on human affairs and purportedly set forth truths.”[4] While although in present times history is seen as more of a science, stories and tales of important people and places will continue to rise to legends because we are a species of dreamers, artists, and romantics.

            In Europe and America after the Renaissance the view of history began to evolve and with more open minds and new interests in math and science the definition of history changed. It “became the study of how humankind had changed and progressed in linear fashion throughout the ages”.[5] Historians began using the historical method in their research and study. The historical method is similar to the scientific method whereas you create a hypothesis, use sources, analyze and study those sources, and use that information to answer your hypothesis. History became a science, and to this day without sources, facts, and proof your hypotheses will be mute and disregarded very quickly. It will be nothing more than fiction.

            History has evolved many times throughout the course of human existence, and I am absolutely sure that it will endure more change in the future. As humankind grows and evolves so will the means by which we study it. If you were to go back in time and show early historians that we can from comfort of our own homes on magical picture boxes from states and continents away from one another, debate the definition of history, they would agree on how far we have come also.

Bibliography:

Gilderhus, Mark T. History and Historians: A Historiographical Introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010.

Hoefferle, Caroline. The Essential Historiography Reader. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010.

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[1] Caroline Hoefferle, The Essential Historiography Reader (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011), 3.

[2] Hoefferle, The Essential Historiography Reader, 3-4.

[3] Hoefferle, The Essential Historiography Reader, 5.

[4] Mark T. Gilderhus, History and Historians: A Historiographical Introduction (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010), 4.

[5] Hoefferle, The Essential Historiography Reader, 6.

Looking forward!

I have just registered for some new classes. I have six classes to go to graduate. Next up is Geography (An elective) and History 294 (Histiography). I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things this October. Wish me luck!

Looking back: My first history essay ever. Almost five years ago now, it was written in 2009.

             There were many things that led to the civil war.  So for the civil war not to happen at all or been avoided, these things would not have to happen either. So in my opinion it is not possible the civil war could have been avoided. Some of these reasons the civil war happened are economic differences, states vs. federal rights, the election of Abraham Lincoln, and slavery.

                 The first cause I want to talk about for the disturbances between the north and the south was their economic differences. It was a huge problem for many different reasons; the north was basing their life on industry and the growth of technology while the south was still basing their living on agriculture content with the way things were. The north was advancing at a rapid pace and in a way leaving the south behind to pick cotton. And that is exactly what they did; the cotton gin was invented and it made it easier to pick cotton in turn giving the south another reason to keep slaves and so the south became a one crop economy.

        Another issue was states vs. federal rights. When America began they had the articles of the confederation which resulted in a lot of states that were neighbors but nothing more because the federal government was so weak it had no power over its people. They were disconnected from one another and that’s how some of them liked it, but when it came to trying to unite the two sides it was near impossible to do so. Then the constitution gave the federal government more control and some states just sat the idea out because they didn’t want to be controlled by the government which in turn resulted in the idea of nullification. States could just decide which ideas to like and which ideas not to like from the government and that resulted in a torn nation.

          There was the election of Abraham Lincoln also. This was a sort of breaking point for the nation, and even though they were already butting heads some southern states believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of the north before he even became president; seven states had already succeeded when he went into office.

            Slavery is usually the only thing people can come up with when they are asked what started the civil war.  Slavery was a huge part of the disagreements between the north and the south but it wasn’t the only reason. Also during this time there was a growth of the abolitionist movement and that helped push the two sides over the edge about slavery. One of the largest reasons slavery become an issue was because America began to expand the north and the south due to the Louisiana purchase as well as general movement westward; they began to disagree on which states became slave states and which states became free states. A few acts were devised to help the process along and they were the Missouri compromise, and the compromise of 1850. Acts were thought up and shot down and passed through which only made the tensions worse.

            The previous paragraphs are reasons why the civil war happened, so now I can talk about how it may have been possible in some way that it may have been avoided and how different today would be. First off the main thing we lost in the civil war was life and property; the list of casualties was about 620,000. With Sherman’s march to the sea in mind, entire plantations, even cities were burned to the ground. So for starters, that wouldn’t have happened and brothers and fathers, even mothers would still be alive. Honestly what the south should have done was in the early 1850’s was just realize that slavery was a dying work form, and just release them. They could have gotten by with a third less slaves anyways, and they could have found another way, like I don’t know..paid labor. In regards to the political struggle between the two sides it would have been almost impossible to prevent a fight.

            There were many reasons for the disagreements from the north and the south and eventually those disagreements went so far that the civil war came to pass. In my opinion it could have never been prevented and honestly it needed to happen to reunite the United States.

How has your writing changed?

Where have you been?

I have had the privilege of visiting some really great museums. I have visited some really amazing place like New York, Washington D.C., and Manchester U.K. I got to at least visits two museums in NY, about 10 in D.C., and around 6 or 7 in the UK. I have also visited some really cool historic places in South Carolina and North Carolina. I want to share some pictures of some of my favorite ones here now.

Unfortunately I was about 17 when I visited D.C and only have very fond memories of my visit there. I didn't own a personal camera then and didn't have a cellphone so I couldn't take any pictures of my own.  My favorite museum was the Smithsonian Natural History museum. I also loved seeing the Declaration of Independence at the US National Archives. I am really sad that I have no pictures from this trip, but I plan on going back sometime in the future and many Gigabytes of data will ensue.

I Visited NY when I was about 18 or 19 and I had my own camera by then. It was a trip with my best friend for her medical purposes but we got to visits a couple of awesome places too. We visited the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Station, The MET, Walt Whitman’s birthplace, and a very cool historical graveyard that was close to our hotel.

There are some very cool places that are historical very close to me. For instance, I visited Middleton Plantation, Magnolia Gardens, and the Biltmore House in 2009 at the age of 19.

Middleton Plantation 

 Biltmore House

In 2010 at the age of 20 I visited Manchester with my husband to see his family. We went somewhere almost every single day. We visited Manchester Cathedral, The Museum of Science and Industry, and downtown Manchester (Historic all by itself), the Manchester Museum, the Imperial War Museum, Manchester United Stadium, a few historic Churches, Trafford Park, and more. 

Sleepy Hollow

If you are interested at all in historical fiction (as I like to call it) then you will love the new show Sleepy Hollow. It airs Monday night on Fox at 9:00PM. It is obviously fiction; a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, but the main character Ichabod Crane played by Tom Mison (who has a photographic memory) is very intelligent. His character is from the past, the American Revolution to be exact and the show mixes in the greatest little historical details and plot lines into the show. They mostly revolve around America and the American Revolution. Crane, who was under the command of George Washington was a spy for the General and knew many of the secrets kept quiet over the next 300 years. The latest episode involved Roanoke, the first settlement in the new colonies. I don’t want to give anything away but the story of Roanoke is something I find ridiculously interesting and to have it put into one of my favorite new shows in a new light was beyond exciting. I kept looking over at my husband going, “You are going to love this, oh this is great.” If they switch up details I have to look over and say, what really happened was…..It kind of reminds me of the Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter movie, YES it was fiction, but some of the details they put into the story taught people about Lincoln, and most importantly, it made people research him. It allows history to reach a new audience, and that is exciting. So all in all, it is amazing, go watch it. 

I have been taking a break from school for almost a year now. I had a baby, he is awesome. Now i am getting back into my blogging roots. I will be starting back school sometime next year, sooner rather than later i hope, but until then my posts will be historical in nature. Maybe even a hand drawn comic or two. :)