EXCLUSIVE: Staten Island’s Alice Austen House Hosts Voices & Votes: Democracy In America Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit

Staten Island’s Alice Austen House Hosts Voices & Votes: Democracy In America Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit

You can see our previous article about this traveling exhibition at the Alice Austen House. Staten Islander News was invited to take a tour of the exhibition to share this important historical record with our readers.  We were guided by Kristine Allegretti, Director of Collections and Operations. The museum’s page about her says, “Kristine manages the museum’s daily operations, and maintains AAH’s growing collection of photographs and artifacts from Alice and the Austen Family.”

The Smithsonian Institution has created a traveling exhibition called Voices & Votes: Democracy In America. This exhibit has been making stops across the country, and Alice Austen House is its Staten Island stop on the tour. They were approached by the Smithsonian Institution to be this island’s host institution, and due to several factors, they chose to accept the offer.

Alice was alive during the period of suffrage, when women were given the right to vote. While they do not believe she was directly involved in the efforts to obtain the vote, she did take advantage of the right once she was able to do so. She even helped other women get to the polling stations to cast their vote.

As we have reported on before, in a democracy (or a democratic republic such as America), it is critical that the citizens are informed, and that they vote based on their conscience. This applies in national elections, as well as in local and mid-term elections. Mid-terms are the period two years after each presidential election when the House of Representatives and the Senate have an election. At that time, all of the representatives can be elected, and one third of the senators, who each serve six year terms, are elected.

Other elections, particularly municipal elections, often happen at the same time or at different times, and these are probably the most important to the local residents of an area. These are the people who are most responsible for the laws and ordinances in a city or town. You can learn more about why this is important from our previous article on this topic.

The Voices and Votes: Democracy in America exhibit is a walk-through, interactive exhibit, with many pieces and parts that move or screens that show scenes of different times in our history. You can see some of the campaign parades, which were the primary way in which candidates used to campaign. That was before the advent of television and major media advertising. Back then, it didn’t cost millions of dollars to run a campaign, and there was also more variety in the people running. They came from all walks of life and all career paths, and they were not so heavily funded by campaign donations.

Seeing the evolution from the earliest days, when you had to pay a poll tax to vote and only men could vote, is very interesting. At first, only landholders were going to have the right to vote, as this is how it was in Britain. But the other citizens had different ideas, and they wanted the right to vote as well. From blacks who were former slaves, to women, to soldiers deployed overseas needing special accommodation, the right to vote is cherished and was fought for by many groups. Now, in America, nearly everyone has the right to vote, including in most states people who have committed crimes and have been released after serving their sentences.

This exhibit gives a more in-depth look than most classroom learning is able to provide. You can see the ways in which various presidents were able to campaign, including with articles in newspapers and magazines, and most interestingly with little toys and decorative items (such as PEZ dispensers), before which there were campaign parades in local towns that were the most important, and all the way up until today.

Protest is also heavily focused on in this collection,  as that is the primary way by which the citizens are able to make their voices heard. You can see posters and signs, mostly handmade, and note how they have changed over time.  There are replicas and digital representations of many signs used in demonstrations.  While an informed populace is essential to a democracy, so is the right to protest and to “…petition the government for redress of grievances…” without fear of reprisal.  The right to protest has been protected again and again in the courts and by Congress. Robust demonstrations, featuring many participants, are the way some things have been changed. The Civil Rights movement and the American Indian Movement (AIM) were both heavily focused on protesting, and they were able to make many gains by using this essential tool of democracy that is available to the citizens.

Everyone can benefit, and everyone will learn something by coming to this exhibit. Starting with the original territories before the French and Indian War, in which many territories were gained by the newly formed United States, moving through the Poll Tax, which meant that citizens had to pay to vote, all the way through to the rights of voting and protest that are enshrined in law and protected by the Constitution and the courts.

Those interested in attending the exhibit can contact the Alice Austen House to reserve a tour. The exhibit is open by appointment, so school teachers can bring their classes, individuals can bring their family, or a group of co-workers can tour it together.

For everyone who values democracy in America, and who wants to learn more about how it evolved from the beginning to now, this is an immersive learning experience. It is designed and put together beautifully, and there is much to appreciate. It is highly recommended for everyone who likes American history.

Banner Image: Video cover. Image Credit – Staten Islander News 

Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer

This byline indicates that this article was penned by a member/members of the Staten Islander News Organization office team. Our staff writers are the backbone of our newspaper, performing all sorts of important tasks like conducting interviews, investigating leads, besides writing the news stories you see.