The Civil War retains a powerful hold on the American imagination; with each generation since 1865 reassessing its meaning and importance in American life. This volume collects twelve essays by leading Civil War scholars who demonstrate how the meanings of the Civil War have changed over time. The essays move among a variety of cultural and political arenas--from public monuments to parades to political campaigns; from soldiers' memoirs to textbook publishing to children's literature--in order to reveal important changes in how the memory of the Civil War has been employed in American life. Setting the politics of Civil War memory within a wide social and cultural landscape; this volume recovers not only the meanings of the war in various eras; but also the specific processes by which those meanings have been created. By recounting the battles over the memory of the war during the last 140 years; the contributors offer important insights about our identities as individuals and as a nation.Contributors:David W. Blight; Yale UniversityThomas J. Brown; University of South CarolinaAlice Fahs; University of California; IrvineGary W. Gallagher; University of VirginiaJ. Matthew Gallman; University of FloridaPatrick J. Kelly; University of Texas; San AntonioStuart McConnell; Pitzer CollegeJames M. McPherson; Princeton UniversityJoan Waugh; University of California; Los AngelesLeeAnn Whites; University of MissouriJon Wiener; University of California; Irvine
#1075164 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2000-12-18Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .66 x 6.14l; .89 #File Name: 0807849014292 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Difficult but good readBy showmegradInteresting read about Virginia's Readjuster Party and its efforts to create multiracial coalition to effect the reform of the political landscape of Virginia. A piece of history that's needed to be heard for a long time; for it puts to rest the inevitability of racial tension in the post Civil War world; both North and South. It reaffirms that race is merely a man-made social construct and let's face it; we've made plenty of mistakes. The people in the book seem to recognize that; or at least tried to. Worthwhile reading!0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Virginia ReconstructionBy ROBIN MCCALLDr. Dailey tells us that this book was her doctoral dissertation; before she made changes and published it as a book. That detail helps to explain the depth of research involved in this 169 page book. Pages 170 through 280 support the narrative in the book. I give the book five stars for the information that it contains; but the readability rating makes it a three star book. It still reads too much like a dissertation; instead of a book that is easy to follow.This information is probably not available anywhere else; without going back to the multiple; original sources that Dr. Dailey used. It has tremendous detail about Virginia's Readjuster Party; including information about bi-racial cooperation in Reconstruction Virginia. The fact that this party survived until 1883 is remarkable in itself.I recommend this book to anyone who is interesting in remarkable exceptions to the norm in southern states during Reconstruction. It is not an easy read; but the information is worth it; if you are a Civil War scholar or an aficionado.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Must ReadBy Lee HuntFor anyone who wishes really to understand the politics of the Jim Crow South; they must first read this book by Prof. Jane Dailey. As Dr. Dailey's beautifully written study makes clear; the racial politics of the post-Civil War south were much more contested and much more in flux than most Americans believe them to have been. Indeed by taking readers into the daily lives of both black and white Virginians who wished to build political bridges across the color line in the wake of the Civil War; we see that the South's future; for a time; held real possibility for scores of newly freed African Americans and poor whites alike. As important; Dailey's study makes clear why it was that intense segregation and racial injustice eventually triumphed in this region. In short; the era of Jim Crow was both actively created; and hard won; by those who had opposed a more egalitarian South from the first. The best historians are those who can take a reader back in time and help them to live; breath; and feel a given moment in time--its hopes and its dashed dreams. Jane Dailey is indeed one of these great historians.
