Hidden or forbidden no more : prequels to the "Greatest Generation." 1914-39

Author / Creator

Luick-Thrams, Michael, author

Available as

Physical

Summary

"looks at five sub-stories behind the overall saga of the social influences that shaped a much-mythologized generation. Made famous and later revered as people who witnessed the First World War, su...

"looks at five sub-stories behind the overall saga of the social influences that shaped a much-mythologized generation. Made famous and later revered as people who witnessed the First World War, survived the Great Depression while building together the New Deal, fought the Second World War, drove the postwar boom and even landed on the moon, the "Greatest" also had shadow sides. This exhibit and catalog examine 1) the anti-German hysteria of WWI; 2) 1918's global flu pandemic; 3) Midwest bootleggers during Prohibition; 4) the so-called "Second Wave" of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; and 5) "Cow Wars" that arose out of the mass unemployment of the Great Depression. While it might seem that we are putting our [great-/grand-]parents under a microscope or "on the couch," this story is really about all of us. By dissecting the world that shaped our ancestors, we better know ourselves--their descendants. With greater understanding of our families' and our roles in creating the status quo, we can better change it. Owning our personal assumptions and privileges allows us to withdraw from unconscious "living" that impinges or endangers those around us--especially non-whites or those dis-empowered by our power."--

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