Civil War memory is indeed a very strange landscape. Up until today I would have said that the once widely held view that slavery was benign and that the slaves themselves remained loyal throughout the war reflects its most absurd side. However, the folks over at Richard Williams’s site have somehow managed to trump even [...]
Memory
This post originally ran in April 2007. I thought it might be worth re-posting given the recent debate here in Virginia and throughout the country over Confederate History Month. I am wondering whether we are witnessing a decisive shift in our collective memory of the war? Is the governor’s apology an indication that it is [...]
Most of us think of the significance of this day in 1865 as revolving around the soldiers who met for the final time at Appomattox Court House. The images and stories of Lee and Grant in the McLean House and the famous salute between Gordon and Chamberlain, which may or may not have occurred according [...]
Jon Stewart has a way of cutting to the chase with these little skits. Implicit in Governor McDonnell’s proclamation is the assumption that we can talk about the war without talking about slavery is absurd. It’s not about politics, it’s simply bad history. Anyone familiar with recent Civil War scholarship knows that soldiers on both [...]
The fallout over Governor McDonnell’s apology will no doubt continue throughout the day today. I will probably not follow much of it as I can anticipate the fault lines that will frame the vast majority of responses. Yesterday I offered a brief commentary as to what I think this turn of events signifies. It comes [...]
By now many of you have read Governor McDonnell’s apology for failing to recognize slavery in his proclamation designating April as Confederate History Month. It directly addresses the concerns expressed by many that by failing to address the crucial issue of slavery the proclamation distorts the very history that it claims to celebrate and promote [...]
Governor McDonnell issued a statement late Wednesday in which he apologizes for failing to reference slavery in his proclamation. “The proclamation issued by this Office designating April as Confederate History Month contained a major omission. The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian [...]
Update: I think it is important to point out that the governor’s proclamation is easily eclipsed by the work of the Virginia Sesquicentennial Committee, which has aggressively pushed for an inclusive and education-driven approach to commemorating the Civil War. I am proud to serve as an advisor to this state-sponsored committee. Click here for more [...]
