Seabrook Museum Analysis Paper Example

Reason for Choosing To Visit the Seabrook Museum

Museums have a unique way of reminding us about our history or that of others across the world. There are many museums one could visit all over the world getting new information in almost all of them. I chose to visit Seabrook museum because of its rich agricultural history. Even though the area has rich exhibits and remarkable history, what stands out for me is its agricultural history, mainly because I admire farming. From my previous studies, I came to learn that Life Magazine referred to the Seabrook farm as the world's largest vegetable factory in 1955. This means that the farm owners practiced large-scale agriculture, and were highly competent in their work. Since agriculture is part of my passion, I was eager to learn how Charles F. Seabrook came to be known as the Henry Ford of agriculture. In addition, Seabrook has been omitted from most New Jersey maps, yet it is an area with rich agricultural, social, economic, and political history. I was eager to witness the gem that Seabrook museum is.

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Learning Opportunities at Seabrook Museum

I learnt quite a lot of things from my Seabrook Museum Visit. First, I learnt about the history of the museum. The history of the Seabrook area is different and special because people from many parts of the world came to live and work together in the area. The culturally diverse populations were Japanese Americans, refugees of war who came from Europe, Japanese Peruvians migrating from US incarceration camps, and Appalachia migrant laborers. The migrant laborers also migrated from the Caribbean and the Deep South.

In essence, Seabrook was the "global bootstrap village" and an area of great cultural exchange. I also learnt about the mission and vision of the Seabrook museum, which made me realize the importance of goal setting and strategic planning for any organization. From the exhibits, I came to know that the Japanese Americans were the largest group of inhabitants who settled in the area after the Second World War (Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center, n.d.). In addition, the many photographs viewed helped to paint a picture of the labor activities of the 1940s and 50s. Other important learning opportunities included the Seabrook Farms Company and the community life, and cultural artifacts.

Favorite aspect of the Museum

Order and protocol stood out for me as the most favorable and memorable aspect of the museum. The museum was arranged in a sequential order such that a visitor could move from one learning activity to the other. The area was quiet and peaceful, and the guides were very friendly. On entering the museum, I was able to learn about the vision and mission of the organization, before learning about the reason why the museum was established, its history, and finally viewing the exhibits. This created a smooth flow and appropriate order of information delivery. The friendly nature of the museum staff warmed my heart especially those who portrayed great mastery of content while explaining some of the historical aspects of the facility.

Favorite Aspect of the Museum Exhibits

The museum exhibits were very informative and raised a lot of curiosity in me. It made me want to view more pictures that illustrated the settlement activities of the 1940s and 1950s. Learning about the rich cultural history of the small area made me appreciate the struggles that people in the 1940s and 1950s went through, the kind of religion that they practiced, the type of houses that they lived in, and other aspects in comparison to the modern way of life and interaction. . In addition, given authority, I would advocate for the inclusion of more exhibits particularly the cultural artifacts of the Seabrook area. The cultural artifacts would help to mirror the information illustrated from the photographic evidence.

How is the Location Connected to the Course or a Specific Part of the Course?

As mentioned earlier, the Seabrook Museum, also known as the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center is located in a small area emitted from most New Jersey maps. The Seabrook area is rich in historical information about culture and labor practices since people from various parts of the world settled and worked together. This rich historical information about labor practices makes the location to have a special connection to the course. From the museum pictures, one could realize that the main economic activity carried out within the Seabrook area was agriculture. People tirelessly labored in their farms to produce vegetables and other crops for both domestic and commercial use. The area also has a great connection to the course since learning about its labor history is part of the course. Seabrook area has rich cultural diversity, and the ethnic, racial, and gender identities of the people influenced how farm labor was done. This has great significance to labor studies.

How Did Your Knowledge And Background Of Labor Studies Change The Lens In Which You Viewed The Exhibits?

The study of labor movements and how they improved the welfare of workers is significant, and with this knowledge, I have been able to assess some of the exhibits given this knowledge perspective. On viewing some of the pictures on the delegates attending the NASDA conferences, what stood out for me was the continued collaboration to improve the welfare of farmers by encouraging cooperation among agricultural stakeholders. International trade boosts agriculture since it sustains jobs, households, and the American economy in general. Looking at some of the pictures, I came to realize the significant efforts put in place to achieve agricultural growth and employment creation. A specific picture is the one taken by officials from the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. Essentially, my knowledge in labor studies helped me to understand some of the labor relations and practices of the 1940s and 1950s.

What Were Readings From This Course Helpful For Viewing And Understanding The Exhibits?

The course readings relating to the theories of social stratification and the interaction of race, class, and gender helped in understanding some of the exhibits. The theories of social stratification suggest that those who work in the farms by performing manual jobs belonged to the lower class in society. The factory owners were the wealthy members of the upper class. The middle class worked in offices and lived comfortable lives. On viewing the picture of workers on loading trucks with farm produce, I got the understanding that the individuals belonged to the lowest class in society. Those who sat in offices and meetings were probably members of the middle and upper classes. The social stratification theory also enabled helped to enhance an understanding of a capitalist economy.

Studying the historical perspectives about changing nature of work helped me to understand the differences between modern-day farming and those practiced in the 1930s through 1950s. Work in the past years was more cumbersome and time-consuming as opposed to modern times where mechanized farming has become much faster. Essentially, the course readings help to appreciate and realize the kind of effort put in place to improve the job output of industrial farming techniques.

Would you Recommend Visiting Other Students in the Class? Why or Why Not?

I would recommend all students to visit the Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center to learn for themselves about the importance of social integration. Seabrook area comprised of Japanese Americans, Japanese Peruvians, migrant laborers from the Deep South, Appalachia, and the Caribbean, as well as wartime refugees from Europe yet they lived and worked together harmoniously. It is through hard work and worker dedication that the Seabrook Farms became reputable all over the world for its great contribution to food security. Finding out the reason why Seabrook Farm was termed as the earth's greatest vegetable factory is enough reason to visit the museum.

Other significant aspects of the area include learning about how the farm owner kept down the labor costs by using every group possible including Estonian refugees, Japanese internees, and the German prisoners of war. Moreover, it would be interesting to learn about battles with the Kan, and Communist-influenced 1934 strike. Many aspects of the course readings are showcased within the labor culture and activities of the Seabrook area after the Second World War, and this makes the museum an ideal destination for any labor studies student.

References

Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center. (n.d.). Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center. Retrieved April 7, 2019, from http://seabrookeducation.org/