“Pain Had a Face, Indignity Had a Body, Suffering Had Tears:” Evaluating the Role of Colonial Williamsburg in Portraying Narratives of Enslavement

Authors

Sarah Kolenbrander, Macalester CollegeFollow

Document Type

Honors Project

Comments

Honors Project in History Department

Advisor: Linda Sturtz

History Department

Abstract

This thesis analyzes how Colonial Williamsburg presented African American history from its opening in 1934 to 2018. Through archival research, historiography, and oral histories, I contend that Colonial Williamsburg perpetuates the ideological separation of African American history from mainstream American history. Segregated programming and a central narrative of white exceptionalism and patriotism maintain this divide. I conclude by introducing the concept of Emotional Humanity as an alternative interpretive method for guiding presentations of slavery at living history museums such as Colonial Williamsburg.

Recommended Citation

Kolenbrander, Sarah, "“Pain Had a Face, Indignity Had a Body, Suffering Had Tears:” Evaluating the Role of Colonial Williamsburg in Portraying Narratives of Enslavement" (2018). History Honors Projects. 26.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/history_honors/26