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Harry S. Truman was one of only two U.S. Presidents elected without a college degree, but the Truman Presidential Library and Museum is all about education—particularly civics. Civics education can cover a variety of things, including how laws are made or the history of democracy, but the Truman Library and Museum focuses on the three branches of government, including the limits of Presidential power, and its live-action role-playing White House Decision Center program.
Ironically, President Truman never wanted his Presidential Library to be all about him. “He wanted this place to be somewhere students would study government and learn about the Constitution,” says education director Mark Adams. His wish both has and has not come true. While the museum has exhibits covering Truman’s life, it is also a haven for education on the role of presidents in general. “Sometimes students feel like the president is a dictator and can do anything they want. It takes a bit of education to point out the president’s power can be limited by the other branches of government,” says Adams. The museum’s gallery highlights examples of Congress blocking Truman and the Supreme Court ruling against him, despite him having appointed a majority of the justices.Â
The White House Decision Center program started over 20 years ago, according to Adams, and is an active way for students to experience the high-stakes decision-making process of a U.S. president. “They actually role play President Truman and his team of advisors and make a decision on a crisis situation,” says Adams. “So they learn not only what a president can do, but who he leans on for advice and gets information from.” The immersive experience includes a look at real documents compiled from the National Archives. “They’re dealing with crises that Truman actually faced.” The museum delivers additional online civics programming across the country as part of the National Archives Civics Initiative.Â
A recent major museum renovation allowed the Truman Library to redesign exhibits specifically for educational purposes, including a new space dedicated to an explanation of the three branches of government, using examples from Truman’s presidency. The student programming is designed for between second-grade classes all the way through high school, but Adams says college and adult groups also frequently use the White House Decision Center.Â
In an effort to bolster education opportunities, the Truman Library provides funding for school districts to bring students on field trips or tours to the museum through a grant aptly named, “The Bus Stops Here.” “We want to make sure everybody has the opportunity to come,” says Adams. The library also works as an educational partner with local teachers on professional development and learning to use available materials and resources through weekend or week-long classes.
The mission of the Truman Library and Museum is not to glorify Harry Truman. As Adams says, “We deliver Truman—warts and all.” But Truman does have a uniquely inspiring story to tell. “When you look at the presidency since Truman, and even prior to him, lots of those individuals maybe had a leg up in life,” says Adams. “But Truman really comes from very humble beginnings.” From farm boy to the Oval Office, Truman’s struggle can feel aspirational, and relatable, to students. And the history is never far from your fingertips. “We have everything here: 16 million documents, eight million of which are from the White House, and 33,000 museum objects,” says Adams. “From his shoelaces to his eyeglasses to the pins that were inside the atomic bomb. The variety of material is so rich and authentic that it really helps tell the compelling story of the things he did—not just in his presidency, but in his life.”
