Week 14 Blog Post

Week 14 Blog Post

Comments on Chapter 14; “The Civil War in Historical Memory” in Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction Documents and Essays:

I feel that I learned a lot from this chapter because it focused upon several perspectives that were left out of the American history survey course. Instead of just mentioning how Southerners evolved the “Lost Cause” mythology, this chapter discussed northern efforts at reconciliation by memorializing the valor of soldiers on both sides as well as black veterans’ efforts to keep their legacy from being forgotten. I can understand why white Southerners constructed the mythology that they did in order to commemorate their loved ones without, at the same time, having to feel the shame of defeat.

Roger A. Pryor’s speech is particularly revealing of the southern viewpoint of reconciliation with the North. (P & T, 467-469) David Blight referred to Pryor’s speech in his essay “The Origins of Memorial Day in North and South.” (P & T, 478-490) The additional information that Blight gives about Pryor is important to assimilating Pryor’s viewpoint. Although he was a former Confederate general, Pryor was a resident of Brooklyn, NY at the time he was asked to give the Decoration Day address at Brooklyn’s Academy of Music in May of 1877. Bright refers to Pryor as “the most prominent among a growing and influential group of what many called the “Confederate carpetbaggers” of New York and other Northern cities.”  (P & T, 485) Because Pryor wanted to believe that the South’s cause during the Civil War was righteous, he chose not to emphasize which side won or lost. When I first read Pryor’s expression of thanks to the committee, it seemed sarcastic due to his choice of the word “pathetic” to refer to the ceremony and his references to them being “recent adversaries” and “former foes.” (P & T, 467) Upon re-reading his speech, I understand his thanks to be sincere according to the flowery language of the time. He was using pathetic to mean arousing sorrow not piteous or unsuccessful. As the editor’s title to the document asserts, in looking for common ground, Pryor emphasized the heroism of the solders on both sides while downplaying the significance of slavery in the war. I certainly disagree with Pryor’s assessment that “impartial history will record that slavery fell not be any effort of man’s will, but by the immediate intervention and act of the Almighty himself.” (P & T, 468) With this statement, Pryor was trying to deny the agency of Unionists and blacks in the elimination of slavery. Surely at least the abolitionists believed that God endowed them with human agency towards achieving emancipation. Black veterans also felt that they did their part to end slavery.

For modern day historians and teachers, this chapter illustrates the importance of presenting the various viewpoints of historical memory of an era without neglecting to explain the actual historical events and how they differ from the propagated memories and why. It is my firm belief that no school-age child or college student today should be taught only one viewpoint of the Civil War or any historical event whether it be sectional or racial. I thing it is important for all people to understand how and why memories can be distorted. Ultimately, all wars are fought over perceived differences between groups of people creating an “us verses them” mentality. Understanding the commonality of human feeling and rationalization will go a long way towards the promotion and sustainment of peace in the world today.

Submitted by Molly Kettler