More Smithsonian Museums

This morning we welcomed Tante Thea into our merry band of travellers.  She came up on a train and joined us for the day.  So, after meeting her at Union Station, which incidentally was designed by the same person who designed NY's Grand Central Station but is a couple of years older, we jumped back on to the perfectly planned Circulator bus and hopped off near two Smithsonian Museums that were on our to-do list (there are other places to see on our list, but time has gone too fast and today is our last full day of sight-seeing here in DC).

First up was the National Museum of African American History & Culture.  We only explored the History Galleries below ground, and have left the remaining above-ground levels for another trip!  It was a really thought-out and well-presented museum, walking visitors through the years from 1400 to today.  Slavery and Freedom, 1400-1877, presented such exhibits as the Atlantic Slave Trade (should a captain of a slave ship have more slaves on board and risk over-crowding and illness and death of slaves (which equals money) or should he have less slaves and better conditions in the hopes they all survive the trip and he gets lots of money for each one?); the paradox of liberty (the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, yet African Americans were not equal; 12 of the 1st 16 Presidents owned slaves); Domestic Slave Trade (even after the import of slaves into the US was banned, people continued to buy and sell slaves within the States, tearing families apart, as the burgeoning cotton and tobacco industries required labour).  Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom, 1876-1968, went through things such as segregated travel, modern civil rights, and people such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.  It also presented the tragic story of Emmett Till, a young 14yr old who went to stay with his aunt and uncle in Mississippi, was accused by a shop-keeper of whistling at her, then was taken from his uncles house by her husband and a friend "to go for a drive".  Three days later, his body was found, chained to a huge metal cotton-gin wheel by barbed wire, shot and beaten, in the local river.  His uncle testified in court against the two white men (& left town after the trial).  The two men were found guilty and then had their convictions suspended.  They got away with murder.  Emmett's mother took her son's body back home, and decided to have an open casket so that all could see what had happened.  That casket is now on display in this museum.  That things such as this, and other lynchings could happen, and be condoned, is just as horrid as what happened during WWII.  One man was found guilty of leering at a white lady on the street - at no point was he closer than 50ft to her, and he was behind her, so how could she know if it was a leer or not, and what defines a leer?!

A cut-away of a slave ship - slaves crowd the middle decks

A Changing America, 1968 and beyond, showcased music and artists, Oprah Winfrey, Barrack Obama, ...

We had lunch in the cafe, a range of traditional African American foods such as catfish, crawfish, cornbread, fried chicken,...  We also had a piece of Key Lime Tart and declared it quite tasty.

Next stop was the National Museum of American History.  We saw artifacts such as the hat that Abraham Lincoln wore the night he went to Ford's Theatre and was assassinated; dresses worn by the First Ladies; the first car to drive across America; the Star Spangled Banner (a huge flag, over 30 ft by 36 ft, and over 200 yrs old that inspired the writing of the national anthem - when I was in looking at it, 3 young school boys came in to see it, and proceeded to sing the song, not well, but they were inspired to do so and it was very sweet!).  So much to see!

Batman car

Pita and Tante Thea with other First Ladies

Melania Trump's Inaugural Ball outfit

Mary Lincoln's dress

Greensboro lunch counter - where African Americans refused to move away from "white only" seats

The 1st car to drive across the US

Then, it was time to board the Circulator bus again for our return to Union Station, and our farewell to wonderful Tante Thea.  She is such a delight to spend time with.

Back to the apartment for our last night here - washing, dinner, blogs/computer time.  And, here, finally, are some photos of our apartment building.

Our apartment looks down onto this courtyard