So many kids, I don't know what to do.



Wednesday, January 26, 2011

State of the............Look Shiny Keys!

Every year my husband watches the State of the Union Address.  Every year I ask, "Don't we have cable?"  Predictably he proceeds to admonish me and tell me how I, of all people, should be interested since I teach U.S. History and I love presidential history...........Blah Blah Blah.
So I hope I have now explained for the LAST time.  I teach and love HISTORY.  Not politics.  Twelve years from now I will be very interested in what the president had to say last night.  Today - I am not.

I do love presidential history.  Today for your reading pleasure I will give a review of the few presidential museums I have seen. (It just occurred to me that about five people are going to read past this point. Oh well.)

Harry S Truman - Independence, MO
This was the first presidential library I had ever visited and it was AWESOME.  It had so much stuff in it.  I really felt for the guy. He seems very misunderstood.  Not only did he follow up one of the most popular and charismatic U.S. presidents ever.  He also did it during one of the most stressful times in our history.  In a matter of days after he was sworn in he was faced with the decision to use a weapon he didn't even know existed.  Historians can second guess him till the cows come home, but that doesn't prove he made the wrong decision.

Abraham Lincoln - Springfield, IL
We went to see this with my in laws.  We had a tire blow out on the way which started the Great String of Flat Tires of 2008.  The kids loved this museum.  They knew who Lincoln was so I think it was more interesting to them.  Saige was quite excited to see the hat Lincoln kept his letters in.  We got to take a tour of his house.  That was super interesting to me and so was learning about Lincoln's married life and his children. .

Franklin D. Roosevelt - Hyde Park, NY

I have to say this was the most anticipated visit on my list.  I NEVER thought I would actually get to go to New York.  It just so happened this library is conveniently located between Canada and New Jersey.  I liked seeing his personal home and learning about his childhood.  I was floored to truly understand what this man went through as president.  He was fully and completely paralyzed from the waist down his entire presidency.  The physical strength alone he must have had astounds me.  I knew he was paralyzed.  I just thought it was partial.  He and his wife seemed to have had a very special relationship.  The museum as a whole though is at the bottom of my list which I hate to say.



George Bush (41) - College Station, TX

When my dad and I first talked about visiting this museum I thought, "Ahhh.  It won't be exciting, but I like the guy."  (I keep trying to talk to Bush at Astros games, but the darn Secret Service is always in my way.  My family is taking bets on when I will finally rush them and shake hands with the former prez.)  
His early life was interesting.  I didn't realize he was a war hero, shot down in the line of duty and rescued at sea.  He graduated from college at Yale in just three years. 
Bush held various jobs in politics - many of them very interesting.  At one time he was on the short list for people who may have been Deep Throat.  (He wasn't.)
Bush had great approval ratings throughout his presidency.  It is interesting to see the way media and circumstances worked together to tank him there at the end.  He presided over some fascinating events in history, like the end of the Cold War.  He seems like a sensitive guy.  I am sure he took losing to Clinton very personally.




  My dad and I just started planning to take the kids to the LBJ library in Austin this spring break.  The Clinton library is in Arkansas, so if I can find someone to go with me I can probably visit that.  I would love to see Kennedy's and also Reagan's.   I would like to see any of them really. 
Basically I believe that each president truly does what they think is best for the nation at the time.  I wish all of us Americans would get over the belief we seem to have that we have to be at one end of the spectrum or the other as far as our opinion of the presidents.

Who is YOUR favorite president??
Seen any good museums??

13 comments:

  1. I agree with you about that in 10 years I will want to know what he had to say last night. And I watched it last night. Well the last like 20 minutes of it.

    My favorite president has probably been Reagan or Kennedy. Well, aside from both Bush's.

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  2. I got to see the Hermitage when I was a kid, Andrew Jackson's home. That was rather interesting.

    I haven't seen most Presidential libraries, but I've spent hours and hours in Williamsburg and that was awesome too. Especially their reenactment shows featuring some of the Founding Fathers.

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  3. Ok so I read it all...all the way down, but I have to admit I hate history!
    As for the State of the Union Address...well it turned into a debate then an argument between hubs and I. There are so many things we just don't see eye to eye on and I will never agree with his point of view. We ended up having to call it quits on watching it.

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  4. Politics isn't something I really, really follow, so I'm not sure. That's great your family is so passionate about this!

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  5. I love the Bush Library. I mean, it probably helps that it's just around the corner from our house and all, but I can tell you that the Bush's spend a lot of time here in College Station and they are the nicest people. Back before Christmas, our photographer was out shooting by the pond and HW came out and said hello.

    Anyway...

    History is great, and generally I love the State of the Union address. But, frankly, I dislike this current President so much the sound of his voice makes me cringe.

    (bring on the hate mail...)

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  6. Can we still be friends if I say I don't like museums...not even a little bit.

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  7. I really haven't been to very many museums, outside of tiny little local ones. My husband has been to the Smithsonian many times and hopefully we'll go as a family sometime. As for Presidents, I don't really have a favorite. My husband is a very passionate political follower, me... not so much.

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  8. I lived at the MOMA in college....as well as the MET and the Guggenheim.. (gotta love NYC)..


    Heres a creepy thing.. I can say all my presidents in order..(thanks Sister Anita my 4th grade teacher) with that being said.. I love Grover Cleveland.. he was born in my hometown and we have a museum here that has a piece of his wedding cake..)EWWWWWWW

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  9. Teddy's house, Sagamore Hill, is near mine. I often do hill repeats on my bike up the namesake hill to the house over and over again.

    I've never gone in but have used the bathroom in the parks service building. It is nice. Not presidential, but nice.

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  10. I'm a Clinton girl. I watched about 10 minutes of the speech last night. I doubt much of that stuff will make it to being history anyhow!

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  11. Went to the Reagan Library this summer. Wonderful trip, wonderful president!

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  12. Is it wrong that I didn't read about the presidents? I just scrolled through the post looking for pictures of you and your hotness!

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  13. Impressive! Brains and cuteness!

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I always like to know someone is listening!