Interpreting American Military History at Museums and Historic Sites

Marc K. Blackburn earned a BA in history at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington and a Ph.D. with an emphasis on modern American military and diplomatic history from Temple University.. Greenwood Press published his dissertation, “A New Form of Transportation, The Quartermaster Corps and Standardization of the US Army’s Motor Trucks” in 1996. He has worked for the National Park Service since 1994, presently at the Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. Dr. Blackburn has always been drawn to interpretation – facilitating opportunities for the public to make connections to the meanings inherent in the resources we protect. He has worked as a peer reviewer in the NPS interpretive development program since 2004 and has given presentations on various aspects of historical interpretation at the Western Museum Association and the National Association for Interpretation annual meetings.

• PrefaceAcknowledgments Chapter 1: InterpretationChapter 2: Introduction to American Military HistoryChapter 3: Colonization and Settlement (1607- 1763)Chapter 4: Revolution and the New Republic: 1763-1815Chapter 5: The Constitutional Settlement, 1783-1815Chapter 6: The Antebellum Period, 1815-1860Chapter 7: The Civil War, 1860-1865Chapter 8: 1865-1914: Internal and External ExpansionChapter 9: On The World’s Stage: 1914-1939Chapter 10: World War Two, 1941-1945Chapter 11: On The Brink: The Cold War, 1945-1973Chapter 12: A World Undone: The Cold War and Beyond, 1973-PresentEpilogueIndexAbout the Author

Drawing on both his own experience and the work of others, Marc K. Blackburn has crafted an essential introduction for beginners, and an excellent refresher for experienced interpreters of America’s complex military history. He traces and examines the techniques and goals of historical interpretation over the last decades and provides a framework to build a contemporary model. Blackburn also distills three hundred years of America’s wars into a condensed and understandable form for interpreters to access. This is not a dry academic exercise, but practical information on improving the public dialogue on American military history.For those who handle the important task of helping visitors and guests make relevant connections to our past conflicts, Interpreting American Military History at Museums and Historic Sites should render indispensable service.