Every day it gets a little harder to forget that we are living through history. Within my short lifetime, the terror attacks of 9/11 nationalized the American psyche, steps and backsteps were made towards civil equality in several major Supreme Court decisions, the pandemic ravaged and reshaped the economic climate of America, and hardly anything has felt exactly right since.

When these big things happen, it has the consequence of making our voices feel small in comparison. After all, how can any one person’s words fully capture the deep impact of these events on our country’s culture and climate? The truth is, they can’t - our voices feel small because they are... because our individual perception of an event provides only the smallest microcosm of the thoughts and feelings of the public. It is only over time that this perception of an event is normalized through its documentation. Over time, the individual thoughts and feelings of an eyewitness fade away and are subsequently lost.

These reactionary emotions are perhaps among the most difficult to capture, which is why the Library of Congress has sought to do so on multiple occasions. During particularly major events, the Library has called on folklorists to perform interviews to gauge the response of the public towards them, offering a hint to the immediate emotions that might otherwise be lost.

In 1941 and 1942,  the first of these interviews began with a “Man-on-the-Street” style which called upon a variety of American people to speak about their reaction to Pearl Harbor in the face of the upcoming conflict during World War II. These take the form of both impromptu interviews and prepared readings in a series called “Dear Mr. President.” The latter called on the American people to make a statement on how the events of Pearl Harbor affected them personally, what they planned to do about it, and what they expected the president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to do about it.

One chilling record comes from brothers James and Robert Cavanaugh, two young men who found themselves tumultuously uprooted by the event. James says, “Originally, I had planned to teach health education and had recently passed an examination in this field. However, the war seems to have changed all my plans. I’m not too eager to go. I fear that I may lose the little I have gained, and I don’t like the idea of coming back 7-8 years from now to no more than I have now.” Included on the end of this recording is the song “Dear Mr. President,” sung by Pete Seeger, from the album of the same name released in 1942. A full transcript of this interview can be found on its resources page.

However, this call for recordings allowed for other individuals to speak their mind about other pressing issues that yet plagued the nation. For example, a series of interviews in Nashville Tennessee offered perspectives from the Black population. This includes a statement from A. J. Steel, who claimed that “we are very anxious to do our part for the defense of democracy. We’re anxious to serve where we can do the most good. In my opinion, we can do this best by holding government positions that our training fits us best for. There are many efficient Negroes who could do so much for their country in these capacities." These two interviews used in conjunction paint an interesting picture of America. On one hand, we have a nation that is reluctant to serve, a nation that is afraid to return back to a brutal war, but willing to do so as their duty. On the other hand, we have a nation that is also looking to prove itself, to showcase their assets to better their country and its people. A full transcript of the latter interview can be found on its resources page.

Nearly 60 years passed before the Library of Congress called on the American people to repeat this work, and it was again in the wake of a tragedy that shook the nation. In September of 2001, the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York caused the entire psyche of the country to change. In October of the same year, the Library sent a request to Americans to “document the immediate reactions of average Americans in your own communities.”

Among these is an interview with Eric Offner, a Holocaust survivor who was working as a trademark lawyer in New York during the time of the attacks, comparing the events of 9/11 to the events of Kristallnacht. “As I ponder about the events, it is my hope that this event, which everyone thinks is the most gigantic event that has ever happened, won’t become a minor event in the many possibilities of what might still happen.” Offner saw this event as a potential turning point, as an opportunity to repeat the mistakes of the past. He worried that, compared to the events that 9/11 might incite, the attacks on the World Trade Center would pale in comparison.

Another interview comes from George F. Gamble, who was working as a police officer in the Pentagon and was an active participant in the rescue efforts that were involved in the attacks. Within this interview he paints a horribly vivid picture as he says, “But just imagine all those fire trucks coming from every jurisdiction that we could possibly name coming and surrounding the Pentagon and all of a sudden somebody says, ‘Oh, there’s another plane coming.’ And I mean to tell you… If you’ve never felt anything in your stomach before about dying, you suddenly got that feeling in the pit of your stomach that possibly you could die.” He continues this interview deferring to a statement made by Pentagon officer, Michael Nesbitt, and finally ends with an almost despondent tone, voicing, "we'll have a lot to tell our children. We sure will."

But these are just two of dozens of interviews gathered during this call from the Library of Congress, the rest of which can be viewed on the September 11^th, 2001 Documentary Project collection page. Interviews range intensely in their variety, from an individual recounting their firsthand experiences in Spanish, to a brother interviewing her sister in Illinois who only saw the event on TV.

In both the attacks on Pearl Harbor and 9/11, the Library has sought to capture the truest feeling of what we felt in those devastating moments of history. As such, they offer an accessible opportunity to get to hear the voices of the past. Examining these with students can allow them to ask questions, such as: 

• What seem to be the main "focus" of individuals' interviews? Are they more focused on the event itself, the effect this event has on their lives, or their thoughts for the future?
• What additional artifacts are included with these interviews are included, if any?
• What position and experience do these individuals have? How does that shape their perception of the experience and affect the answers of their interviews?
• How do the tone of these interviews compare with one another. For tones that differ, why might that be so?

But these are only two of America’s largest moments. What happens to the hundreds of events that happen every year that concern the country? What happens to the emotional commentary that goes on every day, but is never captured? It is not possible for the Library to record the reactions and emotions of every small event, and every consequence of what’s happening in our world. That is why it’s important that we use these events as models to fill in the gaps. Consider having students design and enact "Man-on-the-Street" interviews for things that are happening in their own lives- maybe these are things happening in their school, their hobbies, or their communities. Encourage them to get a broad perspective, and don't limit these interviews to those whose thoughts they already understand.

It can be difficult for us and our students to feel like we have anything valuable to contribute to what’s happening in this world. But our mere voices help contextualize the world we inhabit for the people who come after us. Our voices help connect us to others who feel similarly to us or attract those who dissent. Our voices have power to incite change, even if that change is small. By showing them that every individual voice is valuable, don't we empower them to change the world?