The new Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture is a remarkable place. Rising in black and bronze next to the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., it stands out spectacularly from the marble and faux Classical architecture that dominates the national capital.<\/p>\n
The contents of the museum are even more engaging than the museum building itself. The artifacts within the building tell the story of how black Americans rose from slavery and poverty to some of the nation\u2019s highest offices \u2014 including the Oval Office.<\/p>\n
One of the first things visitors to the museum see as they enter is a statue of Thomas Jefferson.<\/p>\n
Our nation\u2019s third President, he\u2019s remembered for his devout belief in the liberty of ordinary people and his passionate support for individual rights.<\/p>\n
Jefferson has his own memorial in D.C., a marble dome with columns facing the Tidal Basin. It\u2019s a towering place that invites visitors to stand and reflect on the Rights of Man.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,\u201d states one inscription on his memorial, quoting the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n
In the new museum, Jefferson\u2019s portrayal is different.<\/p>\n
You see, despite his beliefs in personal liberty, Jefferson was a slaveholder. He bought and sold human beings.<\/p>\n
In the new museum, Jefferson stands in bronze, holding a book and surrounded by bricks bearing the names of his slaves. Most are only identified by a single name because Jefferson didn\u2019t bother to record them in detail.<\/p>\n
When it comes to our memories of Jefferson, context is everything.<\/p>\n
Next year, to observe the 150th anniversary of the cession of Alaska from Russia to the United States, a group of Juneau residents has organized the erection of a bronze statue of William Henry Seward, the Secretary of State who orchestrated Alaska\u2019s cession.<\/p>\n
Like Jefferson, Seward is a figure to be admired. Where Jefferson was a slaveholder, Seward was a liberator working alongside Abraham Lincoln. Seward believed in universal education and supported the rights of immigrants.<\/p>\n
But also like Jefferson, Seward\u2019s story isn\u2019t simple.<\/p>\n