Monumental Myths is a 47-minute documentary, which unveils theperpetuated myths told at several American monuments and historicsites. Carved in rock or cast in bronze, America’s monuments areintended—by those who commission them—to impart a sense ofauthority and an unquestionable truth about the people and events theycommemorate. Director Tom Trinley traveled across the country in aborrowed 1965 Airstream trailer and visited several sites to providethe untold, alternative viewpoint of those whose experiences have beenleft out of history and the landscape. Among others, he visited FortPillow in Tennessee, The Purchase of Manhattan monument in New YorkCity, Lincoln’s Birthplace Log Cabin in Kentucky, the ChristopherColumbus statue on Chicago’s lakefront and Mt. Rushmore in SouthDakota. Along the way Tom interviewed local residents, tour guides,park rangers and tourists to better understand their perspective ofAmerican history and to find out who protects America’s myths and why. The idea for the film was inspired by the book, Lies Across America,written by best-selling author and sociologist Dr. James W. Loewen. Dr. Loewen was the project’s content advisor and appears on-camerato provide information relevant to each site. Other on-camera expertsinclude Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the UnitedStates and Lonnie Bunch, President of the Smithsonian Institution’sMuseum of African American History.
Monumental Myths
