2025 DC Tour by Rachael Yaden

How they speak to us

2025-07-16 22:22:19 UTC

They tell us a story that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to learn. It’s a living testament to our history of a nation and the history of those people who shaped our great nation. These places ask for respect and we are given the opportunity to honor these silent people and events.

Artifacts and symbols

2025-07-16 22:24:34 UTC

Artifacts and symbols are used to show equality and respect for our history of people. The many lives lost fighting for America are honored in the same way whether or not they ended a war or not. The symbols connect us through things such as religion and tell a story for those who cannot speak anymore.

Advocating

2025-07-16 22:26:33 UTC

Advocating for people around us shouldn’t be as hard as one would think. Showing and treating everyone with kindness prevents discrimination based on differences. Simply not treating someone who is different from you without respect and kindness is the simplest way to help advocate.

2025-07-18 16:26:55 UTC

The holocaust memorial and museum was the most eye opening most real hit in the face thing and experience that I personally had during this week this picture was of one of the concentration camps during the holocaust and the whole thing was horrific.

How do historical sights speak to us?

2025-07-18 16:27:58 UTC

Historical sights speak to us by helping us learn from people past experiences. These signs give us real insight of how the world has grown, in good and bad ways, and with this it can help us guide our lives based on what worked in society and what doesn’t.

2025-07-18 16:29:37 UTC

2025-07-18 16:30:06 UTC

A way to advocate for people is to just be kind and respectful to them even if they are different than me, they are still a human being and there is no reason to treat them any differently or be disrespectful towards them.

2025-07-18 16:30:13 UTC

This is how us as a nation can come together for things that matter to us and that no matter how much we disagree we can still be the greatest nation in the world and in the world that this photo shows the creation of the nations anthem can come from a piece of art

How historical

2025-07-18 16:30:16 UTC

They inform us of the events of the past so that we can look back and learn from them and connect with how it used to be in the past

2025-07-18 16:36:25 UTC

With the sight of the 9/11 pentagon memorial it change that people who were doing every day things and they can end it in a heartbeat and not even know how or why and that life itself is very important and valuable than I think

2025-07-18 16:38:13 UTC

2025-07-18 16:38:47 UTC

These photos unify us as Americans because they have a meaning behind them that show a former struggle that people have had to overcame by groups throughout our countries life.

2025-07-18 16:42:00 UTC

Alana

2025-07-18 16:44:52 UTC

War time brings us closer than ever.

2025-07-18 16:45:08 UTC

The WWll museum and memorial this brought the free world on the brink of damnation and to it bitter end but we can together and became a more untied and stronger force

Also the raising of monuments for the people who put them selfs on the line there lives work and own lively hood for the American people and the whole world at steak for us

In conclusion I think that the whole of D.C has been a huge experiment for me and was awsome and it opened me up and I think for others it completes the American culture and patriotism as a whole

What unifies us as Americans?

2025-07-18 16:46:07 UTC

The countries history and many battles that have been encountered, and unify America together. During things such as war, and the holocaust many people have had to come together and endure these hard challenges . While doing this it creates trust and dependency on the ones around you because nobody else is there in these hard times. Due to this is creates unity within these encounters and builds trust in the people around you, and brings our country together now due to the remembrance of these events.

2025-07-18 16:49:21 UTC

Disrupting thinking

2025-07-18 16:50:05 UTC

The Emmet Till story was an extremely disruptive exhibit that was seen. It was so graphic and just the fact that he was a child and that it all happened due to a lie. And that’s just something that is hard to see but I’m glad it is being memorialized properly and has its own exhibit dedicated to this tragedy.

2025-07-18 17:06:13 UTC

Historical monuments

2025-07-18 20:24:49 UTC

Monuments and museums give us a deeper perspective than just a textbook. A particular space that spoke to me was the holocaust museum, I’ve always learned about it and I knew the details, but going to that museum all I could think about what was what I would’ve felt if my siblings were there,it was a truly moving experience

2025-07-18 20:25:09 UTC

Symbols and artifacts

2025-07-18 20:25:52 UTC

Symbols and artifacts give us a banner to rally behind to work together as a people rather than every person for themself. We cannot truly work well as a country unless we can unite ourselves behind one banner

2025-07-18 20:26:15 UTC

There are many ways to advocate for people who are different from you. One way is making sure you listen to others around you and make them feel heard. Be patient and listen to everyone around you so that you understand the information correctly. If you see something bad or wrong happen you should say something.

Advocating

2025-07-18 20:26:40 UTC

Advocating for people is protesting or using my privilege to help them live equal lives, speaking out for those that need help

How historical sights speak to us

2025-07-18 20:27:28 UTC

They speak to us, by showing us what they did, and why they did it.

2025-07-18 20:27:57 UTC

Historical sites speak to us by showing and proving the history of the event. Such as the Holocaust museum, the museum spoke to us by showing in depth information about the Holocaust and the trauma those people had to go through.

What unifies us as americans

2025-07-18 20:28:36 UTC

The capital means justice and liberty for all, it is meant as a monument that everyone is equal under the law

2025-07-18 20:29:11 UTC

By speaking out against injustice that goes on in your community.

Disruptive thinking

2025-07-18 20:29:28 UTC

Seeing the inside of the capitol made me truly realize just how far apart the ruling class places itself apart from the people of america

2025-07-18 20:30:16 UTC

Artifacts/Symbols reflect our shared american values to show respect to the people who have died and for the things that have happened.

What unifies us as Americans

2025-07-18 20:30:27 UTC

The thing that unites us as Americans is helping each other, it is our duty to make sure every person be equal, in our pledge we say liberty and justice for all, I believe that united us

How do historical sites speak to us

2025-07-18 20:31:13 UTC

I believe they help us truly understand just how grand things were and truly realize how real certain events were

2025-07-18 20:31:29 UTC

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We can advocate people who are different from us by showing respect and kindness. It is not hard to be kind to somebody who has different appearances and life styles than us. We show respect like they are every other human being who bleed just like we do; because they are human too.

What unifies us as Americans?

2025-07-18 20:32:26 UTC

Going to the African American museum and the Holocaust museum showed me how unfairly people were treated just because they were “different”. For example, in the Holocaust museum there was a section with pictures of the POWs. They were taken away from their home and their life because they were seen as a minority in their countries. Same with African Americans, because they were darker skinned they were shunned by others and were refused equality. These museums showed me that to be united as Americans we need differences.

How can I advocate for people who are different from me?

2025-07-18 20:32:49 UTC

I can advocate for people who are different from me by inciting inclusional processes, relating the negative impacts of discrimination to new-world scenarios, and showing all hospitality possible!

2025-07-18 20:33:14 UTC

I think that freedom unifies is as Americans.

2025-07-18 20:34:18 UTC

Emmit Till’s memorial was disturbing but informative. It showed how people treated people back in the day and how brutal someone could actually be. It was disgusting to see how someone could actually do that to a child. I can’t imagine the grief and emotions his mom and loved ones had to go through.

Day 1. How do historical sites speak to us?

2025-07-18 20:38:29 UTC

Historical sites speak to us because they allow us to hear stories about history in a way that we wouldn't be able experience without sites. Memorials, museums, sites, etc do a remarkable job informing others because it's interactive, eye catching, interesting. It draws your attention in, which is what makes it easier to learn about certain subjects of history. Sometimes they can also do a really well job capturing emotions compared to a text book or the way it's being taught at school.

What Unifies Us As Americans?!

2025-07-18 20:39:30 UTC

I think what unifies us as Americans could be a number of things. But one thing in particular that caught my eye was the shared belief in freedom and democracy. From the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution, there was many statements from the founding fathers declaring that people should have equal individual rights/freedoms, as these documents were found in the Archives. Even though Americans come from different cultures, backgrounds, and different religious beliefs, the common commitment to freedom ideas create a sense of unification of us Americans.

2025-07-18 20:44:57 UTC

Day 1

2025-07-18 20:46:32 UTC

Historical sites “speak” to us by being able to take a peak into the past. They help us understand how it was and what it was like living in during times in the past, and how differently people act then compared to now.

How Do Historical Sites Speak to us?

2025-07-18 20:48:11 UTC

The Historical sites speaks to us because you learn and see the events in time and read about their stories. One site is the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in this museum you witness what happened during the holocaust, you see their pain in their faces and you learn their stories. This museum speaks to me because you watch what happened during the holocaust you see the survivors stories and you see and read the ones who died during the holocaust.

2025-07-18 20:50:23 UTC

The 9/11 memorial greatly changed my thinking. Seeing each individuals memorial makes me appreciate life more. Made me realize how fragile life really is. And how easily it can be took. In addition to the holocaust museum memorial, it made me truly realize the horrors people went through in Nazi, Germany. Just to the fact that they were different. The shoes exhibit in the holocaust museum memorial really made my thinking change. Seeing how these people were normal people trying to live life, being put in horrible concentration camps, having no rights or freedoms, being starved, and most killed. All this was very eye opening. Made me think about and appreciate all the rights and freedoms I have, that I often overlook, and take for granted.

Day 2. Photo challenge

2025-07-18 20:50:43 UTC

I chose to do a photo challenge. While I didn't necessarily capture any tricky angles, I would say it does kind of go with perspective. I chose to capture some pictures of my stuffed monkey in front of some of the monuments.

2025-07-18 20:53:28 UTC

The holocaust museum changed my thinking. This is because I learned about things that I had never heard of before. It was a lot more than gassing Jews. The museum went in depth into the lives of some of the victims and really touched my heart.

Day 3. Advocating

2025-07-18 20:58:16 UTC

I personally think there are several ways to advocate for those who are different for you. I think some museums also did a really good job showing some people who advocated for those who were different than themselves and how. Some ways you can advocate for people who are:

1.) being their friend or just simply being nice. While some might not necessarily believe that's advocating, I think it's a great way to start. Because letting them know you're on their side and there with them, is always a big deal. It's also a big difference compared to them thinking they might not have anyone there for them because of their differences.

2.) I think another great way to advocate for those who are different is protesting. I think this was mentioned in many of the museums. A good example is Joan Trumpauer, she was a 19 year old Duke University student arrested for attending protests and freedom rides. She was very involved and attended many protests and certainly didn't allow her arrest to stop her. She was mentioned in the Holocaust museum and I think she's a lovely example of someone who advocates for those different than herself.

Day 4. Daily challenge

2025-07-18 21:16:10 UTC

I chose to do another daily challenge for this one. I picked one of the scavenger daily quotes challenges I picked the one saying to gather several quotes.

Here's the quotes because it's not letting me attach more than one photo:

• "If now isn't a good time for the truth, I don't see when we'll get to it." -Nikki Giovanni

• "There is nothing more powerful than a people, than a nation, steeped in its history. And there are few things as noble as honoring our ancestors by remembering." -Lonnie G. Bunch lll

• "Change will not come if we wait for some other person... or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." -Barack Obama

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2025-07-18 21:30:51 UTC

Final Challenge #2

2025-07-18 21:33:48 UTC

Speaking with a Holocaust survivor really made me think. I've always known how awful the Holocaust was, I knew just how hard it was to survive and I've always had a sense of how hard it was to go through something like that, but it was hearing the story in person. Hearing a story that sets someone apart from everyone else and hearing specifically what she suffered through and what her family suffered through that made me think. I've always valued life, but I felt as though I valued life more after hearing her story, seeing pictures, talking with her. She was so beautiful and her mother was too. She was the sweetest too and it's just so hard to think about what all those innocent people suffered through because they were different. It just made me realize how much I never want something like that to repeat itself. Daniels story was also really difficult, so many people and children were affected by the Holocaust and many were so young they probably didn't even quite understand what was going on. So many young young kids dying, it puts into perspective how the youth these days is so lucky to have lived even 15, 16, 17 years.

Final Challenge #3

2025-07-18 21:41:01 UTC

I think what unifies us most are our senses. The ability to speak, hear, smell, feel... If it weren't for this, we wouldn't be able to read the monuments or hear the stories of others. If we couldn't feel, we'd lack the sympathy and understand of how important it is to feel empathy for others. The ability to speak allows us to express our opinions and emotions freely whether that be for better or for worse. It also gives us the ability to open other people's ears to listen and understand. With these senses we are able to get a better understanding of our past/history, but also the importance of it. It allows us to do our best to make sure that history never repeats itself.

Day 2

2025-07-18 21:45:27 UTC

Historical artifacts and symbols reflect our values of remembrance and faithfulness to the people who lived before us. By showing respect to these artifacts and symbols, we also show respect to the people who made this country what it is today: a country of freedom and equality.

Day 3

2025-07-18 21:50:43 UTC

There are several ways to advocate for people who are different from yourself. One way you can do this is reaching out and speaking to other people from cultures different than your own. This way you can put yourself in their shoes and really get to know what values they hold that are different from yours. Another way is to publicly show support for people in other cultures, by maybe posting a video about them or a post clearly showing that you support them and their beliefs. These are just 2 ways to advocate for people who are different from your.

2025-07-18 21:56:18 UTC

Historical sites speak to us by showing emotion and by using symbols to convey ideas. They can cause change in both bad and good ways. The MLK memorial for example is a big sturdy stone sculpture of MLK. The fact that it is made out of such a strong material could symbolize that he was a strong and persistent man.

how it speaks to us

2025-07-19 00:04:02 UTC

these site show historical events that happened at those time, they show how people lived, what they wear, what they went through, it makes us feel like we were there

2025-07-19 00:06:32 UTC

They teach us about the past and how we can learn from everything that’s happened before.

2025-07-19 00:09:43 UTC

Artifacts and symbols bind us together as Americans by representing what we stand for.

Same experiences

2025-07-19 00:13:53 UTC

Things such as war, sickness, and uncertainty bring us together. These shared experiences give us something to bond over and a way to connect as a nation experiencing the same thing. With this bond comes a sense of unity as a nation and in the end we all have the same history as a country. This acknowledgment of the history of our great nation brings us closer and forms understanding of what we need to continue.

2025-07-19 00:14:08 UTC

2025-07-19 00:16:43 UTC

The people we stand beside and everything we’ve built up to this point unifies us as Americans. - gabe

what unifies us?

briandelacruz6 — 2025-07-19 00:18:36 UTC

Americans are united by shared beliefs in freedom, equality, and democracy.

The Declaration of Independence says all people have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The Constitution starts with “We the People,” showing we work together as one nation.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about America living up to its promise of equal rights

Even though we are different in many ways, we believe in the same basic ideas everyone should be free, treated equally, and have a voice in government. These shared values keep us united.What brings Americans together is not being the same, but believing in the same core values.

2025-07-19 00:19:51 UTC

The Emmit Till story was awful and very disturbing. The thought of a child going through something like that all because of a lie is sickening. - gabe

2025-07-19 00:20:05 UTC

The emmit till mormorial really showed how bad racism effect everyone even younger children and how diffrent todays life had changed

2025-07-19 00:21:49 UTC

Everything we’ve learnt from and built up to this point unifies us as Americans. - gabe

2025-07-19 00:23:58 UTC

2025-07-19 00:25:13 UTC

tiffanytucker2 — 2025-07-19 00:25:45 UTC

disrupting thinking

briandelacruz6 — 2025-07-19 00:26:34 UTC

The emmit til story was a very sad and disturbing story but it was very informational, it showed how equality wasnt really a thing at that time and how cruel people can be to other races, it start a movement for equality and how others races are equal too, emmit’s death brought disparity but also brought hope for movement in order for things to change.

2025-07-19 00:29:13 UTC

Historical sites speak to us by providing a glimpse of the past through the people who lived through it. By focusing on the people involved and the way they lived, interacted, and moved through their own time, historical sites like the ones we visited have the ability to actually teach us something about ourselves, especially how far we've come as a country.

Words of Memorials

2025-07-19 00:36:33 UTC

Memorials show and tell a story of an event or of events. They typically go more in depth than common knowledge to give a better understanding. Memorials speak to us through pictures and emotions. Most pieces in a museum bring up an emotion of some sort and that gives you a better understanding and insight into feelings and results of past decisions and events. The emotions you feel make you more likely to remember the experience.

2025-07-19 00:43:01 UTC

The statues of the WW2 soldiers show that we all appreciate the sacrifice that the soldiers make for us. No matter the belief there is always someone who is willing to stand up for you and what you belive in. As America we all come together to show that our most prized possessions are our population as a whole.