Poetry and Essay
By SAMUAL CRAWFORD, JR.
Observer Contributor

Samuel Crawford is a freelance writer, living in Suitland, Md. He said he wants to help as many people as he can, through his writings, his songs and his poems. His writings are inspired by a desire to see things, people and situations change. His favorite quote is “It does not matter how much you pay in life; as long as you give more than what is required, you will receive CHANGE.”

The American Protestor
I march the streets of Washington DC in protest
There are some things I have to get off my chest
I am not the only one, for we are many
That has come to flood this city

We have our signs, banners and chants
This may be our only chance
To be seen, to be heard
To voice the things that we have learned

We are here to prove a point
The truth we cannot disappoint
It must be said, it must be seen
We are living the American Dream

We have the answer and will not be denied
For freedom of speech, some have died
We are the people and we have the right
To organize a day to gather and fight

We want to see change and that right now
So, our voices we raise and cry out
We want justice, and we want to be heard
We are the American Protestors

I am an American Protestor that has joined in the crowds.
To pour out my thoughts, like rain from the clouds,
To my words they will listen, by my purpose have I been driven?
I will succeed and get resolution.

Because I am an American Protestor on a mission!

Pictures Tell the (Hi)Story
This past Saturday I went to the National Portraits Gallery, this museum I had read about but had never been to before. I mainly wanted to go because of the collection of presidential portraits. I had researched the museum and its galleries. I discovered that not only is the collection inside the building comprised of some of America’s most historical artifacts, but the building itself is one of Washington’s first three public buildings ever constructed. The building chosen to house the Hall of Presidents and their history has a history of its own. It was built third, after two of the most important buildings in Washington: the White House and the Capitol.

The National Portraits Gallery building is actually the site of two museums that are combined into one.
The National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum are located together in one of Washington’s oldest public buildings, a historic landmark that had its cornerstone laid in 1836, and would become the U.S. Patent Office in 1840. The museum, however, opened in 1968 and has gone through much change and renovation since, according to the National Portrait Gallery’s Web site.

The great thing about the two museums is the various exhibitions they display. There is something for everybody, whether you like history, black history, Revolutionary War, Civil War, Cold War, Civil Rights, sports, music, sculptures or antique furniture.

I saw images of Harriet Tubman, Sequoyah, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Pocahontas, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, U.S presidents and so many other people I could not list them all. After an hour or so, I finally arrived at the Hall of Presidents. This gallery is still relatively new. After a period of building renovation, the exhibit opened on July 1, 2006.

Entering the Hall of Presidents, I could feel a sense of dignity and respect. Though we may not have agreed with or even liked certain presidents, there was still a respect that was offered to them. Some of the cartoon drawings of the presidents, and the nicknames they were given, made me laugh. There was a “Card Board messiah,” “Tricky Dicky,” “Dutch,” “Slick Willie,” “The Gipper,” “the Teflon President,” “Honest Abe,” “Teddy,” and the list goes on. These certainly relaxed the seriousness of the exhibit. The atmosphere was amazing, it was like I was meeting the presidents. The pictures were so real, the history was told, and their lives were shared.

If all of the citizens and politicians of the United States could achieve what this gallery has, we would be the most influential and respected nation in the world. We have what it takes to be a greater nation than what we are. We are the home of the free. But our freedom has caused us to become divided. Everyone wants individual rights, some things are right and some things are wrong, a legalization of this or that, “give me this and give me that,” “I’m right and your not,” and it does not seem to stop. Our politicians have their smear campaigns. The news agencies have no shame, telling American’s secrets to whomever they can. Gangs, drugs and so much more flood the ears of the world.

America is a great country that was founded on a great belief system: a nation for the people, by the people and of the people, and we have since divided ourselves into separate, politically correct categorical citizens. Before we were a nation, we were UNITED immigrants. Before we had our freedom, we UNITED to take a stand. Before we had a president, we had a UNITED nation! Before we became the United States of America, we were a people UNDIVIDED! I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. (The pledge of allegiance history can be found here

Before we see America’s destruction, we must look back at America’s (Hi)Story; that which made it so great. Where is the best place to start? How about the National Portraits Gallery? Let us take a good look at the pictures and see what we see! Let’s start in the colonial times, then move on to the revolution, the Civil War, The Emancipation Proclamation, The Civil Rights Movement and finally end in the Hall of Presidents. If we look and if we answer in all honesty, we will find that in the nation’s (Hi)Story, we can see AMERICAN’S standing together in UNITY.

If you want to visit the museum, check out this site: http://www.npg.si.edu/docs/floorplans.pdf.

The museum is located at 8th and 1st St. NW 20001. The Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station is conveniently located by the museum. The museum is open every day, except Christmas Day, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.