Book Reviewed: The Promise of a Nation: Commemorating 250 Years of Patriotism, Resilience, and Aspirations from the National Collection by Smithsonian Institution

The enduring strength of the United States This book is a commemorative and an educational resource suitable for general readers, and American history enthusiasts. This work emphasizes: Patriotism and civic ideals as how Americans have defined freedom and democracy; the resilience in responses to conflicts, inequality, and social issues; advances in science, technology, and space exploration; cultural evolution through music and activism, and national identity. Each chapter representing each decade from the 1770s to the 2020s with Smithsonian objects and artifacts help bring each decade into life from the perspectives of Smithsonian experts, who bring a wealth of knowledge to the narratives. There are photographs of many objects like; the signing of the Declaration of Independence (1818), one of four monumental paintings by John Trumbull (1756-1843) hanging inside the US Capitol Rotunda. Despite its title, the scene depicts the moment on June 28, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress received a draft of the Declaration of Independence; An unidentified immigrant mother and child in Lewis Hine's photograph Peace on Ellis Island. Madonna (1905) represent the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free; and photograph of Harriet Tubman, portrayed in this rare carte de visite portrait, was born into chattel slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland. Between 1850 and 1860, Tubman made more than a dozen journeys across the Mason-Dixon line guiding many from slavery to freedom through the Underground Railroad