Today's Hours:
By Michael Gardner '25
Photo courtesy of Ryan O’Connell
Doctor Daniel Greene visited Framingham State on September 18 to give a scholar talk about the American responses to the Holocaust. Dr. Green is a professor at Northwestern University and a scholar for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Having taken two years of American History in high school, I did not think I would be surprised by this talk, but I was wrong.
Dr. Greene explored several crucial topics in this talk, including the historical context of the time period in the United States, the information that was available to the American public, and public opinion on topics such as immigration and involvement in the events of Europe in the 1930s and '40s. The picture Dr. Greene painted was much more compl ex than the narrative that is often taught in history courses.
The United States was an isolationist nation with a strong desire to stay out of overseas conflicts. There was also widespread resistance to immigration and the roots of antisemitism ran deep. America did not go to war to save Hitler’s victims, she went to war to combat fascism. The persecution of Jewish people at the hands of Nazis did not spark more acceptance or sympathy in the United States, nor did it open the country’s arms to refugees.
Just ten minutes after choosing my seat, I was starting to question the narratives that I was familiar with. The information I learned about the United States in World War II was not incorrect, but maybe the perspective I was taught is not the only one that exists. Maybe history is more influenced by perception than I had thought.
This talk taught me a great deal about the American response to the Holocaust, but it also made me reflect on the way I have learned and understood history. Visit the Henry Whittemore Library website to see a list of other events the library is hosting.
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