"The Great Invasion", "Yankee Justice"...so interesting to hear a different perspective from the one I received in Maine schools in the 70's, although there was still a fair share of Lost Cause propaganda even there. Couldn't help but wonder what that African-American girl was thinking during the talk.
Wonderful information as usual. The videos especially are a real treat.
As someone from Kentucky, it’s a fascinating reminder of how far my state had come in remembering the war. The first video about the history mobile is pretty much how I remember being taught about the war. Looking back, it was a hybrid Lost Cause/Reconciliation history that featured Lincoln, Perryville, and the guerrilla war. There was minimal context of the political situation, to say nothing of emancipation or the extensive African-American experience.
Fast forward to the sesquicentennial and that same history mobile used by the Historical Society prominently featured emancipation and the African-American history of the war. It still presented Unionists, rebels, and battles, but it revealed to average Kentuckians more of their history than most had seen. It did a commendable job of portraying the complicated story of Kentucky’s war.
Within my lifetime, the unduly prominent focus on the Confederate cause has waned to a degree and new stories are now being told. The fact that Camp Nelson is an NPS site is reflective of that change. There is still much to do, but this video reminds me that we’ve come far.
Glad to hear that you found the videos to be of interest. I didn't know that the Kentucky Historical Society had a mobile exhibit during the sesquicentennial. I was comparing it in my head to Virginia's mobile exhibit.
"The Great Invasion", "Yankee Justice"...so interesting to hear a different perspective from the one I received in Maine schools in the 70's, although there was still a fair share of Lost Cause propaganda even there. Couldn't help but wonder what that African-American girl was thinking during the talk.
Wonderful information as usual. The videos especially are a real treat.
As someone from Kentucky, it’s a fascinating reminder of how far my state had come in remembering the war. The first video about the history mobile is pretty much how I remember being taught about the war. Looking back, it was a hybrid Lost Cause/Reconciliation history that featured Lincoln, Perryville, and the guerrilla war. There was minimal context of the political situation, to say nothing of emancipation or the extensive African-American experience.
Fast forward to the sesquicentennial and that same history mobile used by the Historical Society prominently featured emancipation and the African-American history of the war. It still presented Unionists, rebels, and battles, but it revealed to average Kentuckians more of their history than most had seen. It did a commendable job of portraying the complicated story of Kentucky’s war.
Within my lifetime, the unduly prominent focus on the Confederate cause has waned to a degree and new stories are now being told. The fact that Camp Nelson is an NPS site is reflective of that change. There is still much to do, but this video reminds me that we’ve come far.
Thank you for sharing these videos.
Glad to hear that you found the videos to be of interest. I didn't know that the Kentucky Historical Society had a mobile exhibit during the sesquicentennial. I was comparing it in my head to Virginia's mobile exhibit.