The commemoration of the American Civil War is based on the memories of the Civil War that Americans have shaped according to their political, social and cultural circumstances and needs, starting with the Gettysburg Address and the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery in 1863. Confederates, both veterans and women, were especially active in forging the myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.Caroline E. Janney, Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation (2013)
The five major Civil War battlefield parks operated by the National Park Service (Gettysburg, Antietam, Shiloh, Chickamauga/Chattanooga and Vicksburg) had a combined 3.1 million visitors in 2018, down 70% from 10.2 million in 1970. Attendance at Gettysburg in 2018 was 950,000, a decline of 86% since 1970.Cameron McWhirter, "Civil War Battlefields Lose Ground as Tourist Draws" The Wall Street Journal May 25, 2019
Memorial Day
Most of the war dead are buried at Arlington National Cemetery and other national cemeteries near the battle zones. Memorial Day (or "Decoration Day") originated shortly after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. The Confederates set up a different day at first but then merged it into the national holiday. By the 20th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service.David W. Blight, "Decoration Day: The Origins of Memorial Day in North and South" in Alice Fahs and Joan Waugh, eds. The Memory of the Civil War in American Culture (2004), pp 94–129
Lost Cause of the Confederacy
The Lost Cause is the literary and intellectual movement that sought to reconcile the traditional white society of the South to the defeat of their new nation. Gary W. Gallagher and military historian Alan T. Nolan say: The architects of the Lost Cause acted from various motives. They collectively sought to justify their own actions and allow themselves and other former Confederates to find something positive in all-encompassing failure. They also wanted to provide their children and future generations of white Southerners with a 'correct' narrative of the war.Gary W. Gallagher, and Alan T. Nolan, eds., The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History (2000) p. 1.
Grant's Tomb The death of General Ulysses S. Grant in 1885 was the occasion for commemoration. A funeral train carried the body to New York City, where a quarter of a million people viewed in the two days prior to the funeral. His pallbearers included Union Generals William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip Sheridan, Confederate Generals Simon Bolivar Buckner and Joseph E. Johnston, Admiral David Dixon Porter, and John A. Logan, the head of the GAR. His body was laid to rest in the General Grant National Memorial ("Grant's Tomb"), the largest mausoleum in North America. Attendance at the New York funeral topped 1.5 million. Ceremonies were held in other major cities around the country.H. W. Brands, The Man Who Saved The Union Ulysses S. Grant in War and Peace (2012) pp. 633–35
Gettysburg Battlefield
The Gettysburg battlefield, dedicated by President Lincoln who presented his iconic Gettysburg Address there in November 1863, contains hundreds of memorials to the regiments that fought there. Army veterans created the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association in 1864, making it one of the earliest historic preservation organizations in the U.S. The battlefield is under the control of the national park Service and is a major tourist destination.U.S. National Park Service, Gettysburg National Military Park
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington was dedicated in 1922. It has become one of the most visited war memorials. It has been the site of many famous celebrations of freedom, most notably Marian Anderson's 1939 Concert and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech.Raymond Arsenault, The Sound of Freedom: Marian Anderson, the Lincoln Memorial, and the concert that awakened America (2009)Christopher A. Thomas, The Lincoln Memorial and American Life (2002)
American Civil War Centennial (100)
The shadow of ongoing conflict during the Civil Rights Movement affected implementation of the 100-year commemorative activities. Neither Congress nor President Dwight D. Eisenhower were interested in a risking debate over single, unified, national theme for the commemoration, so the official interpretive work was carried out by the various state commissions.Robert J. Cook, Troubled Commemoration: The Civil War Centennial, 1961–1965 (Louisiana State University Press, 2007)
At the national Commission, key members urged different priorities. Emory University Professor Bell I. Wiley recommended a major effort to document and preserving information from historic letters, newspapers and public documents. Ulysses S. Grant III, the first chairman, wanted to emphasize large-scale events that appealed to the public, such as "sham battles" or reenactments. Businessman Karl Betts, the first executive director of the commission, looked for ways it could spur economic development. They all agreed on a Cold War consensus to the effect that all good Americans were ideologically united, with the result that potentially divisive civil rights issues were not emphasized. The National Park Service was in overall charge; it wanted Congress to appropriate more money to re-landscape and interpret major battlefields along traditional lines. The Post Office issued a series of noncontroversial commemorative stamps to mark the centennial.Cook, Troubled Commemoration: The American Civil War Centennial, 1961–1965 (2007) p. 126
The state commissions took a sectional perspective, using different key words and phrases to reflect their viewpoints, and sponsored and encouraged different public memorials and activities. Segregation was still in effect but it was under heavy attack by the Civil Rights Movement. The Southern states presented their official view that the infrastructure of Jim Crow and segregation was an organic reflection of a distinctive Southern "way of life." Many white Southerners responded with enthusiasm to invitations to celebrate their heritage, which they saw as one of courage on the battlefield and continuity afterwards. For the first time, many Americans, especially white Southerners, volunteered or were recruited into historical reenactment groups that performed pageants and re-creations of Civil War battles, field maneuvers, and encampments.Edward L. Ayers, The Civil War and Emancipation 150 Years On, Southern Spaces 17 May 2011.
Civil War Sesquicentennial (150)
2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. Many in the American South attempted to incorporate both black history and white perspectives. A Harris Poll given in March 2011 suggested that Americans were still uniquely divided over the results and appropriate memorials to acknowledge the occasion.Harris Interactive, "150 Years Later Remembering the American Civil War" (2011) online While traditionally American films of the Civil War feature "brother versus brother" themes, film treatments of the war are evolving to include African American characters. Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP, said celebrating the Civil War is like celebrating the "Holocaust". In reference to slavery, Simelton said that black "rights were taken away" and that blacks "were treated as less than human beings."David Person, "Should we 'celebrate' the Civil War?" - USATODAY Forum 2/22/2011 online
Governmental support
National Park Service Acknowledging the need for an internet presence, the National Park Service launched a website about the 150th anniversary and Civil War history featuring a list of NPS events, as well as creating several digital humanities projects. These projects included databases of soldiers, cemeteries, and Medals of Honor awarded; an interactive time line of Civil War events, and a Twitter account featuring the daily accounts of a fictional Civil War newspaper reporter. The NPS and local governments hoped that the sesquicentennial would increase visitation to Civil War battlefield site, and generate revenue. Spotsylvania County made about $68,000 off of the special events for the Battle of Chancellorsville, which it considered insufficient, considering the effort.
In honor of the 150th anniversary, the exhibits at the Chancellorsville Visitors Center got a $1.6 million upgrade. The original Visitors Center was originally completed to coincide with both the 100th anniversary of the Civil War and the 50th anniversary of the birth of the National Park Service. The new exhibit will reflect current research and scholarship. The National Park Service intends to create a contemplative space focusing on the sacrifices of those that fought in the war.
Several park superintendents have been awarded the Appleman-Jude-Lewis Award for their efforts in commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. Eight park service employees received the award, recognizing their work in "preserving the nation's cultural resources"Park Service Commended for 150th Civil War Anniversary Work
The National Park Service's social media team was commended by a local newspaper for their photojournalism coverage of the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Federal funding and grants In spite of the ongoing popularity of the war, there is no national commission to commemorate this sesquicentennial.Molland, Judy. "Sesquicentennial Of The American Civil War – But Is It Still With Us?"Care2. N.p., 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. The Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act, from the 107th, 108th, 109th 110th, 111th, 112th Congress all died in committee after being sent for review from other sub/committees."Untitled Document." The Library of Congress, Bill Summary & Status Search Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. What all these acts have in common for the Civil War Sesquicentennial was to establish a commission to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, and a grant program."Bill Text112th Congress (2011–2012) S.599.IS." Bill Text. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013. This Grant program would have appropriated $3,500,000.00 to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for grants for activities relating to the Sesquicentennial Civil War, but NEH is not directly sponsoring any Sesquicentennial projects. State humanities councils may sponsor their own sesquicentennial activities, partly using unrestricted funds that are given to each state by NEH.See Illinois project
NPS federal funding National Park Service Budget Justification does not include any direct federal funding for the Civil War Sesquicentennial from FY 2008 through FY 2014.National Park Service FY 2014 Budget Justifications." Nps.gov. The United States Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2013. FY 2014 budget of $2.6 Billion, FY 2013 budget of $2.6 Billion, FY 2012 budget of $2.9 billion, FY 2011 budget of $2.7 billion, FY 2010 budget of $2.7 billion, FY 2008 budget of $2.364 billion, FY 2007 budget of $2.156 billion, FY 2006 budget of $2.249 billion.
Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program (CWBPP)