For my third experiment, I plan to compose a photo essay detailing the national debt of the United States throughout history. Through a series of photographs and captions, I aim to provide an overview of how the total debt has fluctuated from time to time, especially during moments of crisis. I also plan to shed light on how the national debt has accelerated in recent years — particularly during the COVID-19 crisis — to a staggering $28 trillion. 

 

The national debt is a topic I first covered in my artifact of origin (a column for The Michigan Daily on the dangers of our growing debt). After writing an open letter and dystopian fiction piece for Experiments #1 and #2 respectively, I feel creating an informative historical timeline through the genre of the photo essay will enable my audience to see the crisis from a different perspective.

 

There are many reasons why I find it important to continue bringing more attention to our national debt. Our accelerating debt poses grave risks to the American economy as well as the worldwide economic system. While our government has been burying itself under an enormous pile of debt for quite some time, the crisis has noticeably worsened in the past twelve months. Our elected senators and representatives in Congress have scrambled to pass COVID-19 stimulus plans in order to uplift the economy, which has struggled due to rampant unemployment and business closures. These bills are valuable and necessary as we continue to confront the virus, but they have also put tremendous financial pressure on our nation.

 

Since the national debt tends to expand during difficult times like the current one, I think my photo essay will be particularly relevant as I raise awareness around the problem. I would like to draw a comparison between the national debt now, in March 2021, and at different points throughout history in order to help society chart the best path forward.

 

To conclude, I think that more people than ever before (from everyday citizens to our elected officials) should be discussing the national debt crisis and actively debating how our federal government should proceed next. I hope the historical timeline I build in my third experiment can shed some light on the past and offer some guidance for the present.