Three historical places on the East Coast trip were a big inspiration for me. They were Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Virginia, and Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. At Lincoln Memorial, I realized Abraham Lincoln’s big influence which still continues today . At Arlington Virginia, I saw victims of wars and the attitudes of Americans who are trying to prevent the memories of the victims from fading, for lasting peace. At Smithsonian Anacostia Community, I was moved by the attitude of many American visitors who viewed the exhibition earnestly. Learning about the history of all three of these places impressed me greatly.
First of all, I was very moved at Lincoln Memorial. Before going near the statue of Lincoln, I went down to the basement floor. I saw an exhibition about Lincoln, which explained what he did for this country. I realized how he hoped that the country would not be divided; he wanted the states to be truly united. Also, at the exhibition I saw many photographs of scenes of demonstrations in front of this memorial. The demonstrations were for the liberty of African Americans, each picture showed clearly the feelings of tension at the time. The pictures helped me understand his contribution which I realize was the liberty for all people which continues in this nation. People in the pictures stood up for their liberty through their own power, like Lincoln. His impactful attitude for the United States touched my heart 153 years after his death.
Second, Visiting Arlington Cemetery was also a moving experience for me. A large number of graves told me the cruelness of wars. It was hard for me to think how many soldiers died because of wars and how many families grieved over the deaths, from the number of graves. I also saw the scene of changing of the guards at a famous tomb. These soldiers continued working so hard to protect these graves and their honor in history. I realized that we can learn about the scale of the price by wars and they should never be repeated again, because of this place. If we didn’t learn the tragedies from our history, we would repeat them easily in our future and the peace also would not be preserved forever.
Finally, I was really impressed by the attitude of many American visitors toward the exhibition in the Smithsonian Anacostia Community museum, which is also called the American African museum. Sometimes it was hard for me to see their sad history. However, there were many American visitors who were trying enthusiastically to learn the history from the exhibition. They saw and studied about it earnestly. I saw some mothers who were explaining about it to their kids more clearly. I thought they never overlook their dark history. They are trying to memorize it and make an effort to hand it down to younger generations. I really admired their stance the whole time because I’ve never seen such a scene in a Japanese museum. Also, I thought we should follow their attitude to preserve our old history for our children. They helped me understand a very important thing for our future.
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