The American Civil War and Modern Memory

Description

This program will explore, in detail, the causes, course, legacy for modern times, and world historical consequences of the American Civil War, "the defining moment" in the history of the United States. Many highly respected historians of this great civil conflict and its aftermath argue that it must be regarded as a Second American Revolution. Participants in the program will study the war as it is described, portrayed, interpreted, mythologized, and remembered in a variety of historical texts, personal accounts, and films. The program will also examine the promises and failures of post-civil-war Reconstruction and its subsequent impact on race relations in America.