History is all about stories, what the tell us and what they reveal about us. Two narratives merged in the abortive display proposed by the Smithsonian of the Enola Gay, the bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima: the successful ending to a long and devastating war and the devastation of two Japanese cities. Included are trenchant essays by Paul Boyer, John W. Everywhere now, history is increasingly being held hostage, but to what end and why? In History Wars, eight prominent historians consider the angry swirl of emotions that now surrounds public memory. What kind of history Americans should read, see, or fund is no longer merely a matter of professional interest to teachers, historians, and museum curators. Everywhere now, history is increasingly being held h From the 'taming of the West' to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the portrayal of the past has become a battleground at the heart of American politics. From the 'taming of the West' to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the portrayal of the past has become a battleground at the heart of American politics.
