Commemoration of the American Civil War facts for kids
The commemoration of the American Civil War is about how people remember and honor the American Civil War. This includes events, monuments, and stories that Americans have created over time. It started right after the war, with important moments like the Gettysburg Address in 1863.
People from the South, especially veterans and women, worked hard to create a story called the "Lost Cause." This story tried to explain the South's defeat in a way that made them feel better.
Today, fewer people visit the main Civil War battlefields. For example, in 2018, only 3.1 million people visited the five biggest battle parks, which is much less than the 10.2 million visitors in 1970.
Contents
- Remembering Our Heroes
- Celebrating Anniversaries
- States and the Sesquicentennial
- Art and Culture
- Digital Media and Education
- Hollywood's View
- Fewer Visitors to Battlefields
Remembering Our Heroes
What is Memorial Day?
Memorial Day is a special holiday that began shortly after the Civil War. It was created to remember the soldiers from both the Union and Confederate sides who died in the war. At first, the Confederate states had a different day, but eventually, it became one national holiday. Now, Memorial Day honors all American military members who have died while serving their country.
Many soldiers are buried at Arlington National Cemetery and other national cemeteries near the battlefields.
The "Lost Cause" Story
The Lost Cause was a way for white Southerners to deal with losing the war. It was a movement that used books and ideas to try and make sense of their defeat.
Historians Gary W. Gallagher and Alan T. Nolan explain that those who created the Lost Cause had different reasons. They wanted to justify their actions and find something positive in their huge loss. They also wanted to give their children and future generations a "correct" story of the war.
Honoring General Grant
When General Ulysses S. Grant died in 1885, many people came together to remember him. A special train carried his body to New York City. A quarter of a million people saw him before his funeral.
Important leaders from both sides of the war, like Union Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip Sheridan, and Confederate Generals Simon Bolivar Buckner and Joseph E. Johnston, were his pallbearers. Grant was buried in the General Grant National Memorial in New York, which is the largest tomb in North America. Over 1.5 million people attended his funeral in New York, and ceremonies were held in other cities too.
Gettysburg Battlefield Memorials
The Gettysburg Battlefield is a very important place. President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address there in November 1863. The battlefield has hundreds of memorials for the different groups of soldiers who fought there.
Army veterans started the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association in 1864. This made it one of the first groups in the U.S. to protect historic places. Today, the National Park Service manages the battlefield, and it's a popular spot for tourists.
The Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was opened in 1922. It has become one of the most visited war memorials. Many important events about freedom have happened there, like Marian Anderson's concert in 1939 and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.
Celebrating Anniversaries
100th Anniversary: The Civil War Centennial
The 100th anniversary of the Civil War in the 1960s happened during the Civil Rights Movement. This made it tricky to plan a single national celebration. Congress and President Dwight D. Eisenhower didn't want to cause arguments, so different states handled their own events.
At the national level, leaders had different ideas. Some wanted to collect historical documents. Others wanted big public events like "sham battles" (reenactments). They all agreed to focus on national unity, so they didn't talk much about civil rights issues that were causing tension at the time. The National Park Service was in charge overall and wanted more money to improve battlefields. The Post Office released special stamps that didn't cause any arguments.
State groups often focused on their own region's point of view. In the South, Jim Crow laws and segregation were still in place. Many white Southerners celebrated their heritage, seeing it as a story of bravery. For the first time, many Americans, especially white Southerners, joined historical reenactment groups to act out battles and camp life.
150th Anniversary: The Civil War Sesquicentennial
The 150th anniversary of the Civil War began in 2011. This time, many people in the South tried to include both black history and white perspectives. A survey in 2011 showed that Americans were still divided on how to remember the war.
Some films about the Civil War are now including more African American characters. However, some people, like Benard Simelton of the Alabama NAACP, felt that celebrating the Civil War was like celebrating the "Holocaust" because of slavery. He said that black people's rights were taken away and they were treated as less than human.
National Park Service Efforts
The National Park Service (NPS) created a website for the 150th anniversary. It listed NPS events and offered digital projects. These included databases of soldiers, cemeteries, and Medals of Honor. They also had an interactive timeline and a Twitter account that shared daily news from a fictional Civil War reporter. The NPS hoped these events would bring more visitors to battlefields and help local economies.
For example, the Chancellorsville Visitors Center got a $1.6 million upgrade for the 150th anniversary. The NPS wanted to create a peaceful place to remember the sacrifices of those who fought.
Government Funding
There wasn't a special national group to plan the 150th anniversary. Bills to create such a group and provide $3.5 million in grants for activities didn't pass Congress. However, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) did give some money to state humanities councils for their own events.
The Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program (CWBPP), started in 1999, helps protect battlefields not managed by national parks. In 2010, it received $9 million, its largest amount ever, to help save these important sites.
State and Private Funding
Some states, like Arkansas and Virginia, created grant programs to help local groups commemorate the war. For example, Virginia offered matching grants up to $5,000 for tourism programs. Most other states did not have direct funding programs for the Sesquicentennial.
Private groups and local communities also raised money for events. The Gettysburg Anniversary Committee (GAC), for instance, was formed to host the annual reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Reenactments
Historical reenactments are like plays where people act out historical events. They can include living history displays, museum exhibits, and battle re-creations.
The first big reenactment happened at the 1913 Gettysburg reunion. A century later, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 2013 had the largest reenactment in U.S. history. About 12,000 reenactors from all over the world participated. Over 200,000 people watched this 10-day event, bringing in over $100 million for the local economy.
Most reenactments for the 150th anniversary were similar to past ones, but many added special events or more reenactors. These events try to transport the public back to the Civil War era. Reenactors portray battles, camp life, and the lives of women. Most events include opening ceremonies, camp tours, vendors, field hospitals, and battle reenactments. Since the war lasted five years, the 150th anniversary events took place from 2011 to 2015.
Where Reenactments Happen
The National Park Service (NPS) usually doesn't allow full battle reenactments with opposing lines and "casualties" on its land. They say it's safer and more respectful to remember the fallen through dedication ceremonies. So, many reenactments happen on private land, like Boy Scout camps. However, Gettysburg is an exception. Other NPS sites mostly host "living history" events, which include reenactors but not full battle demonstrations.
NPS vs. Reenactors
The NPS believes the Civil War story can be told accurately without dangerous reenactments. They focus on living history events instead. Reenactors, who are often history fans, understand safety concerns. But they believe that showing the horrors of battle helps educate the public and honors those who died. They feel their attention to detail shows respect.
African American Reenactors
Black soldiers played a big part in the Civil War, but their reenactors were often missing from events for a long time. However, in the decades leading up to the 150th anniversary, more and more "Colored Troops" (as they were called then) have been portrayed in reenactments. This increased interest is partly due to the 1989 movie Glory.
As more African American reenactors join, more educational events include them. For the 150th anniversary, many events were added to tell a more complete history. Groups like the Sons and Daughters of United States Colored Troops (USCT) have organized reenactments. For example, the 23rd Regiment USCT reenactors have participated in events at historic sites like Appomattox Court House National Historical Park.
Women Reenactors
The role of women reenactors can be tricky. Some women want to play combat roles, even though only a few women disguised themselves as soldiers in the 1860s. Men who lead reenactment groups sometimes exclude women from combat roles, saying it's for historical accuracy. However, some argue this is unfair, pointing out that many male reenactors are heavier than historic soldiers, while women are often closer to the historical size. Since 2011, the reenactment community has slowly started to allow more women into combat roles for the sesquicentennial.
Other Ways to Remember
Colleges and other groups also commemorated the 150th anniversary. Some held events at former slave communities. Others organized street festivals with education, music, and job fairs. Some had lecture series that connected Civil War issues to modern racial concerns.
Georgia Historical Society Project
In 2010, the Georgia Historical Society hosted a summer program for college professors. It was called "The American Civil War at 150: New Approaches." They discussed new ways to look at the war's causes, how sides were chosen, and issues like slavery and emancipation. They also looked at how the war is remembered today.
Ken Burns' "The Address"
Famous filmmaker Ken Burns created a documentary called "The Address" for the 150th anniversary. It focused on the Gettysburg Address. Burns also made a website, "Learn the Address," where famous people like President Obama and ordinary people recited Lincoln's speech.
States and the Sesquicentennial
Twenty-five states officially created committees or departments to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. These states often worked with the National Park Service. They used both public and private money for their events.
Arkansas
Arkansas created podcasts about the Civil War. These included topics like "Confederate Women of Arkansas" and "Unionism in Arkansas." One podcast, "Racial Atrocities during the Camden Expedition," talked about a brutal event in April 1864. During the Battle of Poison Springs, Arkansas, 116 members of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry were killed. Nine wounded USCT troops were later shot to death by Confederate soldiers. This showed how brutal the war became.
Georgia
Georgia's National Park Service website focused on "From the Civil War to Civil Rights" for the Sesquicentennial. This theme aimed to be more inclusive than past commemorations, especially since Jim Crow laws were still a factor during the 100th anniversary.
Researchers in Georgia studied how African Americans felt about the Civil War. They found that many black citizens felt that white Southerners resisted changing the "Lost Cause" story. They felt that African Americans were often only shown as enslaved people. The study suggested including more personal stories from African American families and communities. It also recommended including the history of USCT soldiers and the diverse lives of African Americans before and after the war.
New York
Hartwick College in New York held a "Sesquicentennial Celebration" from 2011 to 2012. They had many lectures, including some for young audiences about the Underground Railroad with storytelling and puppets. The goal was to include the African American experience and the college's ties to the war.
South Carolina
In December 2010, a "Secession Ball" was held in Charleston, South Carolina. This event, hosted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, caused protests from the local NAACP. They felt it was "nothing more than a celebration of slavery." City officials expected "controversy and hard feelings" during this time but hoped it would also open up communication.
Texas
In Texas, the city of Galveston raised money for a marker to remember Juneteenth. This is a very important day because on June 19, 1865, Federal troops finally arrived in Galveston to announce that slavery was over. The war had ended two months earlier. Juneteenth became a day of joyful celebration. The Galveston Historical Society also created a pamphlet about African Americans in Texas, listing historical sites like churches, schools, and museums.
Virginia
Virginia held an annual "Signature Conference Series" from 2009 to 2015. These meetings featured experts discussing topics related to the Civil War, like "America on the Eve of the Civil War" and "Race, Slavery and the Civil War." The 2010 conference on "Race, Slavery and the Civil War" discussed how to dismantle social and legal systems that supported slavery.
Art and Culture
Civil War Art
Many artists created new works for the 150th anniversary. Artists like Dale Gallon, Mort Kuntsler, and Don Troiani made pieces specifically for this time.
Dale Gallon created 10 new oil paintings for the Seminary Ridge Museum in Gettysburg. These paintings show life during the war, the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, treating the wounded, and the moral debates of the time. The exhibit became a permanent part of the museum.
Mort Kuntsler had an exhibit called "For Us the Living" at the South Carolina State Museum. He painted over 350 Civil War scenes. Don Troiani created a painting showing a key moment of African-American soldiers in battle, recovering the Union colors.
Gettysburg Cyclorama
The Gettysburg Cyclorama is a massive painting, 377 feet long and 42 feet high. It was painted by Paul Philippoteaux to remember the Battle of Gettysburg and opened in 1883. It was so big it made audiences feel like they were in the middle of the battle.
The painting was restored in 1962 and again for the 150th anniversary. The latest restoration, costing $15 million, took five years. The painting was cleaned inch by inch and hung correctly to give a 3D feeling.
The building that housed the cyclorama in 1962 was designed by architect Richard Neutra. It was part of a plan to update national parks. However, in 1999, the National Park Service decided to tear it down to restore the battlefield's original look. This caused a debate, but the building was demolished in 2009. The cyclorama moved to a new museum in 2007, designed to look like a 19th-century farm.
Music of the Era
Many states held music festivals to celebrate the sesquicentennial. Bands dressed in Civil War uniforms played popular military tunes. They wanted to show how music helped soldiers cope with the war.
Frankfort, Kentucky, had a "Cornets and Cannons Festival" with period instruments and brass bands playing Civil War-era music. The Friends of Michigan History held a concert called "The Turning Point of the War, 1863," with musicians in authentic Civil War outfits.
Even modern bands were inspired. The band Civil War released a music video for their song "Gettysburg" as a tribute to the anniversary.
Theater Performances
The Barter Theatre in Virginia premiered musicals like "Rappahannock County" and "Civil War Voices," based on diaries and letters from the period. Other theaters across the country also put on Civil War-themed plays.
In Decatur, Alabama, The Princess Theatre had a lecture, book signing, and concert called "Songs and Stories of the Civil War." The Fredonia Opera House in New York presented a one-man show based on letters from a Civil War musician.
Digital Media and Education
Online Resources
Many projects have digitized (scanned into computers) Civil War documents like soldiers' diaries and letters. This makes it easier for scholars and the public to access information online. These projects aim to share insights into the social, religious, and political beliefs of Civil War soldiers.
Mobile Apps
Many free mobile apps appeared for the 150th anniversary. These apps often have educational features like GPS guides to battlefields, interactive photos, and maps. The "Tennessee Civil War 150" app, for example, lets users explore people, places, and artifacts, and find nearby battlegrounds.
Tourism Online
Digital media has been important for Civil War tourism. Websites promote events at battlefields. Groups like The Civil War Preservation Trust offer online tools to plan visits. Hotels also offer "Civil War Packages" with stays, lectures, and battlefield tours. Virginia's tourism website even offers its pages in different languages to reach a wider audience.
Educational Resources
Many digital educational resources for teachers were created. The National Endowment for the Humanities' EDSITEment project provides lesson plans with questions and primary sources. Other resources include virtual reality games like "ValleySim," which lets users experience life as a soldier.
Many state Civil War websites, like Pennsylvania's "Pennsylvania Civil War 150," offer resources for students and teachers, including interactive timelines and maps. Longwood University created podcasts called "That a Nation Might Live" about Civil War events.
There are also guides for middle school students to help them use historical collections for their projects. The Civil War Trust works to preserve battlefields and has compiled battle narratives. The Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History provides free access to valuable primary sources for schools. The Library of Congress and the National Archives also offer large online databases of Civil War information and artifacts.
Hollywood's View
Movies have greatly influenced how people remember the Civil War. Famous films include The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone with the Wind (1939), and Lincoln (2012).
Civil War Films
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Fewer Visitors to Battlefields
The five main Civil War battlefield parks (Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Chickamauga/Chattanooga, and Vicksburg) had 3.1 million visitors in 2018. This is a big drop from 10.2 million visitors in 1970. Gettysburg alone saw a decline of 86% since 1970.
Until recently, these parks mainly focused on showing visitors "who shot who where." Now, they are changing. They are reaching out more to minorities, women, and young people. They also explain more about why the war happened, focusing on the terrible impact of slavery as the main cause.
