When sculptor Sabin Howard began work on A Soldier’s Journey, the new World War I memorial unveiled on September 13th, he found that his models couldn’t seem to strike his sought-after pose. So instead, he suggested they perform the action the pose was meant to depict—to lunge, charge, collapse, or reach—and then shot the sequence in full in burst mode on his iPhone. From the dozen or so images he captured, he would then choose a single one to sculpt that expressed the action as a whole.

The result of what he called a “movement-driven process” in Smithsonian Magazine—and in his conversation with Russ about depicting war’s tragedy—is a stunning monument in motion, a nearly 60-feet long bronze frieze that carries viewers through a story. And in this, I think, Howard’s work is an apt metaphor for American history—at least, that history as it’s presented in a number of EconTalk episodes of late. Hearing these guests mine iconic texts for the meanings they can offer today, I was struck by how they viewed history as a living, dynamic thing. Like Howard, they believe it can chart a path forward—so long as our starting point is engagement.

For example, political analyst Yuval Levin believes the Constitution can bring us together—yes, really—even though we as a society may deeply disagree. The secret, he explains, lies in understanding what the framers meant by “national unity.” Rather than try to bridge differences, they wanted to force us to find common ground; rather than fear fractious politics, they made them a means to a strong democracy. Hearing Levin explain how the electoral college makes America a less-polarized place, it’s hard not to feel hopeful about the future—regardless of which party wins next month.

And for those still worried that American society is more divisive than ever before, historian Diana Schaub has news for us: Things were bad in the 1830s, too. In her book on Lincoln’s greatest speeches, she traces the roots of the president’s lesser-known Lyceum Address—a speech critical to understanding Lincoln’s character and his approach to political institutions—back to a dangerous trend toward mob justice and disrespect of the courts. Recognizing that the right foundation for self-government isn’t passion but cold reason, Lincoln outlined prescriptions for a sustainable republic we could use for what ails us today.

Finally, in his probing and deeply personal reading of “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” poet and lawyer Dwayne Betts shares how his own story came full circle when he found, in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call for civil disobedience, an expression of the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of suppression and despair. Of the many lessons we can take from the iconic document, one of them, Betts believes, deals with the issue of time: Why it moves differently for different people, the tragedy of not using it well, and—perhaps most important—why it’s never too late to start again.

Well, almost never. During author A.J. Jacobs’s year of living constitutionally, he discovered how hard it is to adhere to the document’s original meaning more than two hundred years after it was written. That’s not only because it means leaving Twitter or wearing a tricorn hat. Rather, it’s because it means grappling with some pretty horrible things, such as our history’s undeniable racism and sexism. But Jacobs doesn’t think we should excise these things from our founding document. Instead, he believes their presence there shows how far America has come.

Viewing Howard’s memorial more than a hundred years since that conflict’s end, I think it’s hard not to feel a similar sense that our nation has come a long way. After all, this is not your father’s memorial, honoring an abstract sense of honor, glorifying anything. It is, instead, a complex, nuanced, and sensitive reevaluation of a key chapter in our history. And also, perhaps, a reminder that with history as our guide, no one future is ever truly set in stone.

Marla Braverman
Editor at EconTalk

Mining the Conversation

A selection of additional EconTalk episodes that explore the ways in which America’s history offers both timely and timeless lessons.

Martha Nussbaum on Alexander Hamilton Long before he was the subject of a Broadway sensation—and before his losing gamble to Aaron Burr—Alexander Hamilton was an unlikely yet wildly successful statesman who embodied the tension between power and service, ambition and virtue. Hear Nussbaum, a philosopher and scholar of law of ethics, discuss what Americans can learn from his example, and why we should all be singing his many praises.

Michael Munger on Slavery and Racism How did Southerners manage to persuade themselves that slavery was a justified thing? According to Duke University political scientist Michael Munger, answering this question first requires recognizing that they needed to be persuaded. Listen as Munger presents an under-studied aspect of the institution of slavery, and then explores an under-appreciated reason for our dramatic attitude change.

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita on the Spoils of War Pointing to a positive correlation between a president’s reputation and the number of people who die in that president’s wars, NYU political scientist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita argues that the decision to go to war has far more to do with self-interest than with the best interests of the nation. Warning: Be prepared for a boldly revisionist perspective on Washington and Lincoln.

Conversation Starters

An eclectic collection of films, books, poems, and podcasts that offer fresh takes on key figures, events, and words from American history.

Blood and Glory: The Civil War in Color Produced to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, this four-part documentary used state-of-the-art technology to colorize archival images and enhance our understanding of a critical moment in American history.

“I, Too,” a poem by Langston Hughes Known for his portrayals of Black life in America between the twenties through the sixties, Langston Hughes plays off Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” to make a powerful statement about American ideals—and a powerful cry for equality.

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien A collection of related stories about the Vietnam War, O’Brien’s book is not only about America’s involvement in Vietnam. It’s also about how storytelling shapes our sense of history, and how those stories’ retelling can help us arrive at the elusive truth we seek.

“Apollo 11: What We Saw,” a podcast Told from the viewpoint of 10-year-old Bill Whittle but narrated by his 60-year-old self, this four-part miniseries transports us back in time, helping us understand what the space race felt like to the millions of Americans who experienced it firsthand.

Made in America by Bill Bryson Part history of American culture, part history of the English we speak, Bryson’s book is one hundred (and fifty) percent an entertaining read. Come for the takedown of America’s self-image, stay for the origins of Yankee Doodle’s feathered-cap name (i.e., “Macaroni.”).
 

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