April 8, 1869: The American Museum of Natural History opened to the public in New York City. In contrast to current exhibitions on human evolution, its first annual report made clear that the museum only showcased “the wonderful works of the Creator.” As the 1870 report also noted, the museum purchased its collection from European sellers. Much of it was collected through imperialism, settler-colonialism, and genocide. The collection was deemed “the largest and most valuable collection of objects of Natural History, which has been offered for sale in many years.” As is typical throughout the history of museums, the American Museum of Natural History was designed “as a means of education and recreation.” By blending these goals, it would help build knowledge while also bringing joy to Americans. In the early twentieth century, it also became a global hub of scientific racism. For example, it hosted the Second International Eugenics Congress in 1921. President of the museum Henry Fairfield Osborn greeted participants with this message: “I doubt if there has ever been a moment in the world’s history when an international conference on race character and betterment has been more important than the present.”
Citations: American Museum of Natural History, The First Annual Report of the American Museum of Natural History (New York: Major & Knapp Engraving, 1870), 6, 9, https://archive.org/details/b22347951; “Hall of Human Origins: Six Million Years of Evolution,” American Museum of Natural History, accessed March 23, 2024, https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/human-origins; Henry Fairfield Osborn, “The Second International Congress of Eugenics Address of Welcome,” Science 54, no. 1397 (October 7, 1921): 311, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1646319; Detroit Publishing Co., “American Museum of Natural History, New York,” photograph (New York, NY, c. 1902), https://lccn.loc.gov/2016796653.
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