The words “history” and “memory” have closely related meanings. But to scholars, they mean very different things: “History” refers to the record of events from the past and “memory” to the process by which groups, institutions, and nations try to make sense of those events.

Monuments are a good example of where these two concepts intersect. They reflect a selective process: deciding what to commemorate, what the monument should look like, where it should go—as well as what ideas and themes should be ignored, obfuscated, or suppressed. Historians talk about “reading” a monument as a way to learn more about the relationship between the people who erect it and the historical event it pays tribute to.

War memorials can be especially fascinating and poignant places to practice these thinking skills, and there is no better place in the United States to think about the memory of conflict than on the National Mall. Historian and professor Christopher Hamner leads a day dedicated to four memorials on the Mall. Begin with a Ripley Center lecture on the distinctions between history and memory and an overview of the skills used to read a monument. After a boxed lunch, head out to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Ulysses S. Grant Memorial for hands-on exploration and discussion of the insights these memorials hold.

Know Before You Go

• Tour participants meet at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC. Note the program begins with a lecture inside the Ripley Center.
• Tour includes a boxed lunch.
• The tour will take the bus from the Ripley Center to the Vietnam War Memorial. From there, you will walk to the Korean War Memorial and WWII Memorial. You will then take the bus to the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, where the tour will end.

General Information

• Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 21, 2024.
• Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
• As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
• For additional tour information:
• Study Tour Policies
• Refund/Cancellation Policy