I think "America I Am" means that America has a beautiful history, but it also has an ugly history, because of what fellow African-Americans have goe through. But in spite of that, we have managed to be a very good country because we have things such as the Declaration of Independence, that allows every citizen to have equal rights. Also, there is the Constitution, which has basic rules for running the country, including equality and civilized laws that apply to everyone. It is once again called "America I Am" because African-Americans have a history through America, and it becomes a part of them; by the exhibit shown, I can infer that they have endured many hardships and cruelties throughout their existence in America. For example, the whip that white wives used to beat their house servans, and ankle braces, which African-Americans were chained to during slavery. The North also relied on the slave trade to keep the economoy running, so they are also a part of America because they were huge contributors to making our country as strong as it is today.
I liked and disliked the "America I Am" exhibit. I thought the music and lighting was depressing because it made me very saddened to see what some people in the past had to go through. However, as I walked through the exhibit, I see they had arranged it in chronological order, and so it made me a bit more cheerful as I walked through to see the great things that they have accomplished throughout the years. I thought the exhibit was well-put together, and they did a good job of respresenting African-Americans throughout time, both cast in a negative and positive light at times. I would definitely go see the exhibit again, and it was sad to figure out that the exhibit was being moved somewhere else. Overall, I enjoyed the trip and thought it was a great learning experience.
