NEW BOOK: AMERICAN ENTERPRISE

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V19 2016 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 19, Number 38, September 18, 2016, Article 5

As a member of the "Friends of the Smithsonian" I received today a book from them "Enterprise -A history of Business in America"

To me , since America is an enterprising country, and our money relates to these happenings, I would suggest you try to get a copy of this book, which can reflect how money, (COINS) contributed to our country's business growth and success. It makes great background information for those who collect or study Finance and Enterprise.

Thanks. I had trouble locating information on the Smithsonian web site, so I reached out to National Numismatic Collection Curator Ellen Feingold, who kindly put me in touch with Peter Liebhold, Curator, Division of Work and Industry. Peter and his team curated the exhibition. -Editor

Thanks for your interest in our new exhibition American Enterprise. It opened in late June 2015 and will be up for at least 20 years. At 8,000 sq. ft. and with over 600 objects it was a major undertaking for the National Museum of American History. The premise of the show is that one can gain insight and understanding into the history of the United States and its people through business stories. Organized chronologically the exhibition has four underlying themes of: opportunity; innovation; completion; and common good. A website with all the object, graphics, labels, and interactives can be found at http://americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise. There are over two dozen artifacts of direct numismatic interest scattered throughout the exhibition.

We also produced an accompanying book, American Enterprise, which expands some of the stories told in the exhibition. The book is available through Smithsonian Press.

For more information on the exhibit, see: American Enterprise (http://americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise)

American Enterprise: A History of Business in America
by Andy Serwer, David Allison, Peter Liebhold, Nancy Davis, Kathleen G. Franz

What does it mean to be an American? What are American ideas and values? American Enterprise, the companion book to a major exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, aims to answer these questions about the American experience through an exploration of its economic and commercial history. It argues that by looking at the intersection of capitalism and democracy, we can see where we as a nation have come from and where we might be going in the future.

Richly illustrated with images of objects from the museum’s collections, American Enterprise includes a 1794 dollar coin, Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 telephone, a brass cash register from Marshall Fields, Sam Walton’s cap, and many other goods and services that have shaped American culture. Historical and contemporary advertisements are also featured, emphasizing the evolution of the relationship between producers and consumers over time. Interspersed in the historical narrative are essays from today’s industry leaders—including Sheila Bair, Adam Davidson, Bill Ford, Sally Greenberg, Fisk Johnson, Hank Paulson, Richard Trumka, and Pat Woertz—that pose provocative questions about the state of contemporary American business and society. American Enterprise is a multi-faceted survey of the nation’s business heritage and corresponding social effects that is fundamental to an understanding of the lives of the American people, the history of the United States, and the nation’s role in global affairs.

Author Information
Andy Serwer, David K. Allison, Nancy Davis, Kathleen G. Franz, and Peter Liebhold

ANDY SERWER is the editor-in-chief of Yahoo Finance. He was formerly the managing editor of Fortune magazine, as well as a regular contributor on CNN's "American Morning" and a co-host of CNN's "In the Money." DAVID K. ALLISON, NANCY DAVIS, KATHLEEN G. FRANZ, and PETER LIEBHOLD are curators at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.