Tag Archives: BHS experience

History Through Art & Words at BHS (My Experience)

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During our class visits to the Brooklyn Historical Society I found myself getting more and more enthralled with the amazing atmosphere that the building. When I walked into the building I felt like I had walked through a wormhole and was back in time in the library of a large manor home, expecting a lord of some sort to come in and ask me to leave. On our first day we met Robin Katz who stood out from everyone else in the way she spoke and her apparent display of knowledge. During our three visits we looked at articles pictures and advertisements that ranged in age from over five decades to almost two hundred years old. These primary sources were well preserved and displayed a great deal of information. It was like looking through a window through the fabric of time and seeing things from the point of view of people who lived before my time. One of the first things I saw at the BHS was a map of subway stations in Brooklyn that was over fifty years old. I was surprised to know that a lot of stations are still there today and some are even still in use. During our second and third visits we looked at different articles and advertisements pertaining to slaves. These were tough subjects to view and a lot of the things we looked at made me really angry. However I am glad that I got the chance to see these materials. In doing so I was able to learn and grow as a person and feel really good about the time we live in. I wouldn’t trade my experience there for anything. I also hope that I get the chance to go back and do some self-study research so that I can appreciate the entirety of what the BHS has to offer.

My Experience at the BHS

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Visiting the Brooklyn Historical Society was a complete new experience for me because ive never went to a place where real primary sources were archived throughout the years and be able to use in research. its like a time machine and being able to peer into the past and see some of the past and how it was. it has also changed how i can do research and use primary sources to back up my thesis, or support an argument, or enhance a research paper. it has also changed how i view and read the book beloved and any other piece of literature that is in that time period and about slavery such as the “runaway slave profile” by Franklin/Schwninger it gave some examples and descriptions on how the slave owners put slave ads on newspapers and how they described them,whether they were dark skin, mulatto, etc and any other unique features that could identify the person in the ad. Even though they gave descriptions and how they did it and what the ads looked like it does not compare to actually physically seeing and and reading it for yourself what the ads looked like and what they contained. for example the caricature of a slave next to the ad to signify that it was a slave ad. many different things ive learned and experienced. it has changed how i look at primary sources and where to find them. i hope to return to the BHS in the future and take advantage of the primary sources

 

Visiting BHS

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After visiting BHS, over the semester it has been a informal experience. Learning about how Brooklyn used to be and what it is now is amazing. I see all the neighborhoods and how much has stayed the same and also how much has changed. I got to see that Coney Island was still a place where people could enjoy themselves. Viewing the ads for the run away slaves,I had to pay close attention to the details that the slave-owners would write specific things about their slaves but the value for wanting them back was very low. It told me that there was a chance for that if the slave was returned that they would be killed or tortured.

Reading the letter for the slave asking his owner to buy his freedom was very different. One, because slaves weren’t educated and two most couldn’t buy their freedom because they didn’t have much money and three their owners wouldn’t allow it because they still wanted to keep them. Overall, after all my three visits to BHS i have gained alot of information that i would have never knew about without attending the class sessions held their. Presenting to the class was a good experience, it made me feel more comfortable to present in front of classmate because i knew what i would say. Group 6; was the group i was in and i believed that we worked great together and accomplished our goal.

Brooklyn Historical Society

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I’ve never actually visited any places that are like Brooklyn historical society. So it was quite a new experience for me and an interesting one.my visit to Brooklyn Historical Society has educated me on a lot things. For instance, Brooklyn evolution, runaway slaves, and has also increased my research skills. In our first visit to Brooklyn Historical Society, we were learning about Brooklyn. I have learned a lot that day. First thing I learned was that Bensonhurst which is a place in Brooklyn is located near Cony Island. Moreover, there was also a beach picture, which one may say the people in that generation cover up more as oppose to nowadays when you go to the beach people Are almost clothe-less. I also learn that some places and streets in Brooklyn that’s from the 1900’s and are still remains the same, one of which is Brooklyn College.

Furthermore, in my second visit to BHS, I have learned about runaway slaves. In our second we had to work as a group rather than working individually. Therefore, I also learn about teamwork. In my group, we were giving runaways slaves ads to look at and to compare. One thing I have learned is that even though    they were slaves, they were treated differently because of their skin color. Therefore, those who had a yellowish skin complexion tend to have more privilege, they tend to be more literate and have more decent jobs such as barber, waitress, etc.. BHS is a very good place to visit because it holds a lot of historical information that one might need or want to explore. I enjoyed my times being there and hope to come back on of these days.

Experience at BHS

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My visit to BHS was very exciting because I learned many things which i didnt know before. During my first encounter at BHS we learned many new things about Brooklyn such as, long before i was born there were railroad tracks on the streets we drive on currently. The maps were very different now then it was before. The second visit to BHS we learned about how runaway slaves were put on newspaper ads and there was a list description of which specify the runaway slave. Slaves were treated very harshly. It was eye opening experiencing at BHS because we were able to inspect certain materials first hand. Overall it was a great learning experience and i look forward to going back at BHS again in the near future.

Experience at BHS

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My experience has been great at Brooklyn Historical Society. I have had the opportunity to see and touch primary sources that people arent able to see. I think thats something special that not everyone gets to do. Prior to this class, i had already gone to the BHS. With the experience i had with with the first time, i’d have to say that this second experience was better. It’s better because since we’re reading beloved, we were able to see in more detail how slavery impacted in Brooklyn. This opened my eyes to realize that New York was always impacted by slavery, not in a way like the South was, but in a different way i didn’t think of before. On those two days i went, i was able to see newspaper advertisements on runaway slaves. Those advertisements described the slaves and granted rewards for them if they were found and returned to their “masters”. It bothered me when i saw these newspaper ad’s because they were treated like a piece of property, like an in-animate object being misplaced or whatever they were viewed as. I believe that going to BHS has helped me better understand how life was for the African American Slaves back in the centuries previous to ours.I have always somewhat enjoyed working in  groups for projects in classes, but i can say that working in groups for class in BHS helped my group oand i get along with each other and hear each other out when it came to ideas about the things we saw at BHS.This experience helped me understand a little bit more on the history of the U.S and appreciate the artifacts that are preserved for future generations to come.