Across the 50 states?

[larry_cockerham]

Unionblue wrote:

"You will find dedicated amatuer historians, such as reenactors who dive whole-hog into the period and those SCV, SUV members who keep the memory alive."

Without the folks Neil listed above, the American Civil War is history. Gen. S. D. Lee, of course, gave the charge to the descendants of Confederate soldiers to keep the memory alive. Us Union descendants could do well if we can approach the same. I'm trying. The re-enactors do the lion's share of the effort by simply showing up at events and drawing visual and auditory attention to the fact that this was a different time. I suspect it doesn't matter if Revolutionary or Civil wars, the kids don't at first notice a difference. Just stopping them in their tracks for a few minutes might afford an opportunity to light a spark leading to actual investigation of the reason for all the commotion.
That's probably a stretch, but our ancestors deserve the shot.

[Capt Coxetter]

Let's hope, let's pray, let's WORK, so that the upcoming Sesquicentennial will improve things.

It's not just adolescents and it's not just the Civil War. My wife and I are Baratarian cannon crew reenactors (1815). I'm mind boggled at the number of adults who think this occurred during the Civil War; or who don't know about the War of 1812: or who don't know who Jean LaFitte was. Yet they can rattle off the batting averages and uniform numbers of every overfed, overpaid dolt in major league sports.

A local TV news nitwit named Roop Raj kept repeating a couple of months ago that "the Ursuline nuns are holding their annual Mass in honor of our Lady of Prompt Succor. This has been their custom for 192 years, starting at the Battle of New Orleans, DURING THE CIVIL WAR."

Apparently our school don't teach history any more. Or arithmetic, for that matter.

Capt. Coxetter

[blue_zouave]

I'm going to stay off the "taught in school" bandwagon and go back to the original question.

Yes, there is an interest in the ACW in all 50 states. Here in the Golden West, there are Civil War roundtables and reenacting groups, albeit not as thick as in the East. As far as people not knowing history, who nowadays knows that a lot of the US Army in the late 1850s was stationed in Utah?

Everything of any value that I've learned about the American Civil War, I learned on my own. It's probably the way most of us are.

Zou

[PINCKNEYUSMCRET]

I'll chime in on this. I got my interest from a wonderful old History teacher who asked me if I was related to the Pinckney's from South Carolina who helped start this great experiment called the United States. Started researching and found out yes. As to the Civil War it appears we were like a lot of families. Some wore Gray and Some wore Blue.
I have tried to bring my children in to the fold, but who knows how much took. I have a Poly Sci graduate who's a bleedin heart liberal so I must not bee too good of a teacher.
Also there is the little Politically Correct problem. It's ok to be a YANKEE, but not a REB. Who would want to be accused of supporting slavery. I never condoned it, but I'm sure I would have been with John Bell Hood someplace.

Pinckney

[larry_cockerham]

Originally Posted by PINCKNEYUSMCRET

Also there is the little Politically Correct problem. It's ok to be a YANKEE, but not a REB. Who would want to be accused of supporting slavery. I never condoned it, but I'm sure I would have been with John Bell Hood someplace.

Pinckney

Who said it ain't ok to be a REB? Certainly none of my closest friends! There are idiots in this world (surprise?) who haven't spent anytime researching much of anything, as has been previously stated. The notion that REBS promoted slavery and offended folks who didn't know there was a Civil War, is blarney at it's best. Being a REB brings with it a certain feeling of belonging to the South, a spirit of competitiveness that should never die. Let's hope the influx of yanks coming down here to avoid the joys of life in crowded urban areas don't screw it up!

[blue_zouave]

Originally Posted by larry_cockerham

Let's hope the influx of yanks coming down here to avoid the joys of life in crowded urban areas don't screw it up!

Everybody came from somewhere. Kill 'em with kindness.

A wise old Southern lady once said, "Every Yankee who comes here is worth a bale of cotton, and is a lot easier to pick!"

We Idahonians have the equivalent in Californians coming here. We feed 'em spuds and take their money. We assimilate them. Resistance is futile.

Zou

[PINCKNEYUSMCRET]

ZOU, I happen to think it is ok to be a REB, but in todays politically correct world there is a bit more resistance to those that claim southern sympathies. We can see that even sometimes on this board. It is a shame though, I think the civil war should be taught in all government classes, Not only the reasons for it, but the far reaching results of it's climax.

PINCKNEY

[SpiritofPickett]

Originally Posted by ole

Counter-question, Spirit. How much do English teenagers know about similar "important" historical events in the UK's past? Say the Crimean and Boer wars? Or, for that matter, even WWI and II?

I'll suspect it is a shade more than US kids get, but there is the same problem: the subjects keep growing and multiplying, and take too much time to cover adequately.

As Unionblue has alluded, if it weren't for the SCV, SUV, and passionate fruitcakes like ourselves, there would be no reason for historians to hope to make a living studying the affairs.

Ole

Kids in England are c**p at history, the Hip-Hop culture over here is taking it's toll but that at least I think I can safely blame on you yanks!

PC attitudes to even WW2 are creeping in. Wacky claims that bombing Dresden was a war crime. The constant groaning about Hiroshima. We've now had posthumous pardons for all our soldiers that were executed in WW1.

We now judge past actions by today's values. That's crazy! Whatever my views on any of the above issues, decisions were made by people living in the time, working with the 'rules' of that time. In 2007 bombing Dresden may look wicked but in early '45, the allied command was intent on saving the lives of their soldiers. They took the decision with that background. Cosy in your warm safe house 60 years later is hardly a fair comparison, when you reasses Bomber Command methinks!

Somebody said 'bad history' on the internet. Not half! I see regular requests for quoted sources to back up claims. Often, half a library comes back, often nothing. How often do kids say, 'It must be right, I got it off the net'. Think on, in 2 generations will the Holocoust be so muddied general public opinion will give up on the matter? I truely hope not!

[ole]

So the, Spirit, it's about the same. But I blame it on the Beatles.
Ole

[SpiritofPickett]

Originally Posted by ole

So the, Spirit, it's about the same. But I blame it on the Beatles.
Ole

Please, not the 'J' thing again.........