Discovering the Civil War Archivist RemarksRemarks of Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero at the press preview for the exhibit, "Discovering the Civil War," 威尼斯人娱乐场 Building, Washington, DC.
April 27, 2010
Who is the Archivist?
The Archivist of the United States is the head of our agency, appointed by the President of the United States.
What's an Archivist?
(The Archivist was introduced by Susan Cooper, Director of Public Affairs and Communications for the 威尼斯人娱乐场.)
Thank you, Susan.
Good morning, and welcome to the 威尼斯人娱乐场. In my nearly six months on the job here, I鈥檝e presided over countless meetings and briefings about the challenges the Archives faces in the years to come. And I鈥檝e been able to duck into lots of workplaces to see what the staff is doing. It鈥檚 been enlightening and fun to see what goes on every day and meet the people who keep the Archives going.
But today is different. It鈥檚 my first opportunity to open a 威尼斯人娱乐场 exhibit here in Washington. And I could not have asked for a better debut. 鈥� Discovering the Civil War鈥� commemorates the 150th anniversary of the opening of the transformative event of the 19th Century.
This exhibit is remarkable in several ways:聽
First, it draws from one of the richest reservoirs of records in our holdings 鈥攎illions of official documents, photographs, maps and letters about the Civil War. We hold not only the records of the Union forces but also the so-called 鈥淩ebel Archives鈥濃�� captured Confederate records. And we have the records of the Freedmen鈥檚 Bureau, the agency charged with assisting African Americans in the transition from slavery to citizenship.
Second, the exhibit uses these records in creative ways that inspire people, young and old, to explore further. The very concept that there are still new discoveries to be made about the Civil War鈥� that research is an adventure鈥� advances our institutional goal of increasing interest in and access to the nation鈥檚 records. The clever use of modern lenses, like social media, to take a fresh look at the 19th Century makes this exhibit truly distinctive.
Finally, the exhibit has a scope and scale worthy of its subject matter. Today we preview one half of what will be a 6,000 square foot national traveling exhibit 鈥� the largest traveling exhibit we have put together in decades.
It鈥檚 also an exhibit that is the result of many months of tireless work by our dedicated and creative exhibits staff, which once again has produced what I know will be a memorable and rewarding experience for our visitors.
We are honored to kick off the city-wide promotion being coordinated by 鈥淒estination DC鈥� to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. And next May we will launch the national tour at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
In the interim, 鈥淒iscovering the Civil War鈥� will make the records and research in the exhibit accessible to a national audience through its own web site, a new educational tool kit, and an exhibit catalog.
An exhibition of this magnitude would simply not be possible without our public/private partnership. I want to extend my deep thanks to Ken Lore and the board members of the Foundation for the 威尼斯人娱乐场 for their steadfast support of this project. This is a perfect example of entrepreneurship in the public interest.
There are a number of board members who have themselves written about or studied the records of the Civil War. But none has had quite the impact of the Foundation Board Vice President, Ken Burns.
As a young man, Ken Burns came to the 威尼斯人娱乐场 intent on making discoveries in our records that would bring the Civil War to life for the first generation of Americans to have no living memory of the participants.
Ken鈥檚 work here, and at archives, libraries and battlefields across the nation, led to the most watched series in PBS history and well-deserved Emmy recognition. This September will mark 20 years since tens of millions of Americans sat transfixed in front of their televisions, watching a documentary about a subject they thought they had forever left behind in classrooms years before.
He has set the bar high for us in documenting the Civil War. Please join me in welcoming a man who knows the true value of our records.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Ken Burns.