Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Civil War Centennial: Inspiration For The Civil Rights Movement?, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I read Richard Williams' Old Virginia Blog, not because I agree with what he has to say but explicitly because it gets me so corking mad. Interspersed with tea party rants and modern political diatribes, Williams is an interesting (and sometimes frightening) voice of modern Confederatism and Southern exceptionalism.

"...The Way Things Were Back Then": Why Making Excuses For Slavery Doesn't Work, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Presentism. Aside from historical revisionism, it is perhaps the 'epithet' with which the modern historian find themselves branded the most. I've been reading again a series of screeds by Bill Vallante, a Confederate reenactor and SCV member from Commack, NY (thanks to John Hennessy). I've read these pages before, but this time around was struck by the abject vitriol which oozes from the language employed. A line in one piece in particular stood out to me as quite angry:

"Add a heavy dose of presentism (judging or interpreting the past according to the standards of the present), mix thoroughly and …

The Rebel Flag: Offputting Symbol Or Point Of Pride?, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

In 2004, Gettysburg College hosted an art exhibit by John Sims, a Florida based artist and ethnomathematician. The exhibit focused on varied recolored versions of the Confederate Flag. The press outrage was quick and damning. I should know, I was quoted in it (in the Civil War News).

Back in 2004, I called the exhibit, "sickening," and condemned the college for, "trying to distance itself from the town by rejecting the Civil War past in which it is steeped." I was wrong. I figured that out no sooner than passing through the doors of the art gallery and viewing …

On Dogs And Ponies And 'Three Days In July' Syndrome (Part 2), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

What happened in Chambersburg and Fairfield in April of 1861? Certainly not events which were earth shattering for the nation as a whole. But to the citizens of the bustling southern Pennsylvania urban centers, it was their world. [excerpt]

Youtube Wednesday: Why I'M Celebrating The Civil War 150th (And Why You Should Too), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

There's quite a bit of talk within the interpretive community about the word, "celebration." The word is tiptoed around and eschewed. Its use raised ire in Charleston Harbor this past December. These debates over commemoration versus celebration, no doubt, will crop up again and again over the next few years. We, as a community, are nearly afraid of one misstep. We catch our words as they escape our mouths, quickly correcting ourselves every time "celebration" accidentally emerges trips over our teeth. We seem afraid to say that we are celebrating an American bloodbath of biblical proportions. I can understand this …

On Dogs And Ponies And 'Three Days In July' Syndrome (Part 1), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

In 1961, Gettysburg played host to a kick-off event for the Civil War Centennial. The town commemorated the sendoff of the Independent Blues, a militia company which marched off to war in the aftermath of the firing on Fort Sumter. The affair was huge. The Diamond was closed off to traffic as actors in old time clothes strutted through a political rally on the square. Spectators watched from the sidewalks as speakers mounted a wagon and gesticulated wildly at the crowd. Gettysburg College's students, wielding trumpet and drum as they did for Football games on Nixon Field, stood in for …

Interview With James Myers, March 28 & 31, 2011, James P. Myers Jr., Brad R. Miller

Oral Histories

James Myers was interviewed on March 28 & 31, 2011 by Brad Miller about his childhood, collegiate years and teaching at Gettysburg College. He also discussed Carl Arnold Hanson's presidency, the political unrest during that time, and how the college has changed during his time here.

Length of Interview: 103 minutes

Course Information:

• Course Title: HIST 300: Historical Method
• Academic Term: Spring 2011
• Course Instructor: Dr. Michael Birkner '72

Collection Note: This oral history was selected from the Oral History Collection maintained by Special Collections & College Archives. Transcripts are available for browsing in the Special Collections Reading Room, 4 …

Ms-118: Letters Solicited By Jerold Wikoff For Gettysburg Alumni Magazine, Sierra R. Green

All Finding Aids

This collection is comprised of letters written by Gettysburg College alumni to Mr. Jerold Wikoff concerning three distinct topics: World War II experiences, dinks, and alumni couple sweetheart stories. The alumni who contributed the letters that comprise this collection wrote in response to Mr. Wikoff‟s various requests within the Gettysburg alumni magazine.

Special Collections and College Archives Finding Aids are discovery tools used to describe and provide access to our holdings. Finding aids include historical and biographical information about each collection in addition to inventories of their content. More information about our collections can be found on our website https://www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/collections/ …

Montgomery: The Murals In The Dome, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

A broad sweeping portico looms behind the gay couple riding horses on a summer's afternoon. The man wears a brown coat and tall black top hat. The woman dresses in the finery of the turn-of-the-century. A hunting dog stands at attention as the horses stride across the plantation's spacious lawn. Back on the porch, a black "mammy" figure watches over a young girl. [excerpt]

Montgomery: Jeff Davis' Seal Of Solomon, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Set into the marble steps of Alabama's Capitol building is a brass star. Gleaming against the white stone, the star stands at the top of the stairs on the Capitol's west face. The star reads, "Placed by Sophie Bibb Chapter Daughters of the Confederacy on the spot where Jefferson Davis stood when inaugurated President of C.S.A. Feb. 16. 1861." [excerpt]

Why It's Interpretive: Bid 'Em In, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Browsing the provocative blog "Jubilo! The Emancipation Century" recently, I came upon a post featuring a curious YouTube video.

So why did Bid 'Em In speak so deeply to me? I think it's because it places you in the shoes of the 15 year old slave woman being auctioned. It's not an intellectual investigation of slavery. It's not an historical narrative written after the fact of a particular event. It's visceral. [excerpt]

Lee Chapel: Lost Cause Artifact And Culture Shock, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I had the privilege to accompany a group of undergraduate students recently on a whirlwind tour of the Wilderness, Richmond and Appomattox. Our tour took us along the I-81 corridor on the way back to Gettysburg, so why not stop in Lexington for a Civil War two-fer. [excerpt]

"And You May Ask Yourself: Am I Right? Am I Wrong?", John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

This blogging endeavour is dangerous. Blogging, I believe, should be a personal medium, where you wear your heart on your sleeve and let the real "you" hang out. That's scary. [excerpt]

Front Matter

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

Includes cover, list of editors, table of contents, and author biographies.

Cultural Distortion: The Dedication Of The Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson Monument At Manassas National Battlefield Park, Shae Adams

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

The Stonewall Jackson monument on Henry Hill at the Manassas National Battlefield Park stands as a testament to the propensity of Americans to manipulate history in order to fit current circumstances. The monument reflects not the views and ideologies of the veterans of the Civil War, but rather the hopes and fears of those who spent the prime years of their lives immersed in the Great Depression. Those of the latter generation searched in vain for heroes among the corrupted businessmen on Wall Street who ran the economic affairs of the country, and who, in the eyes of the public, …

Friends, Foes, And Nel Noddings On Liberal Education, Daniel R. Denicola

Philosophy Faculty Publications

The author analyzes the debate over liberal education, focusing on critic Nel Noddings, who advocates alternative education. The author cites Noddings' article "Conversation as Moral Education," where Noddings identifies traditional education as studying the canon of Great Books, and another article in which Noddings discusses the theory of curricula.

Nicaragua Und Puerto Rico, Melissa M. Weisbach

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Ich bin drei Jahre nach einander mit dem Gettysburg College Chor gereist. Im Frühling 2006 habe ich Nicaragua besucht und vom 1. bis 9. März 2008 war ich in Puerto Rico. Beide Länder sind schon, aber es gibt viele Unterschiede zwischen Nicaragua und Puerto Rico. [excerpt]

Argentina Y El Mercosur: Una Relación Compleja, Daniel B. Sprague

Ӓҫcéñt

Ha habido dudas desde su nacimiento y continúan habiéndolas hoy, pero el Mercado Común del Sur ha sobrevivido. Argentina, uno de los padres del mercado común, ha sobrellevado su propia lucha desde la creación del mercado. [excerpt]

Konflikt Und Überzeugung, Menschlichkeit Und Tod: Die Charakterisierung Von Friedrich Schiller, David T. Ey

Ӓҫcéñt

Friedrich Schillers Charaktere sind dynamisch und statisch. Ihre Ziele ändern sich nicht durch das Schauspiel, aber die Ziele verursachen innere Konflikte, die mit einem äußeren Konflikt beschäftigten. Die Charaktere lösen die Konflikte durch den Verzicht eines Ziels auf. Schillers historische Tragödien handeln von absoluter Auswahl. Sie sind am Anfang fehler- und lückenhaft, aber sie ändern sich durch das Stück und werden absolut. Dann werden sie bestimmt, ein Ziel zu erreichen, aber sie verlieren ihre Menschlichkeit. Der innere Konflikt wird aufgelöst, und bald ist der äußere Konflikt aufgelöst. Am Ende sind die Charaktere und die Konflikte komplett und eindimensional. [excerpt …

Bertolt Brechts Theater, David T. Ey

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Bertolt Brecht hat Theater umgewälzt. Das populäre Theater seiner Tage bestand aus Tragödien. Sie waren amüsant, aber statisch. Sie zeigten die gefährlichsten Situationen der Menschen mit Wahrheit und hielten nichts zurück. Sie zeigten Wirklichkeit, aber diese Wirklichkeit blieb im Theater. Man ging ins Theater und sympathisierte sich mit den Charakteren. Das Schauspiel endete, und gleichzeitig endete das Mitleid. Man glaubte, dass man nichts machen konnte, weil die Charaktere nichts machen konnten. Bertolt Brecht hat diese Idee abgelehnt; er wollte ein dynamisches Theater machen. Er wollte ein Theater der Aktion: episches Theater. Seine Theaterstücke konnten das Publikum beeinflussen, und er glaubte, …

Writings Of Esther Discherheit „Das Leben In Zwischen“, Jan Cerny

Ӓҫcéñt

Juden behaupten, dass sie nicht jüdisch genug ist. Deutsche sagen, dass sie nicht deutsch genug ist. Gesteckt zwischen zwei Welten und zwei Kulturen, ist Esther Discherheit eine von der wichtigsten Schriftstellerinnen im heutigen Deutschland. Als die weltbekannte Stimme einer gegenwärtigen jüdisch-deutscher Generation, kämpft sie stark gegen Kategorisierung, Stereotypen und Heuchelei. In ihren Werken finden wir alle Probleme vom heutigen Deutschland und jungen deutschen Juden. In dieser Arbeit versuche ich die Texte von Esther Discherheit zu analysieren und die „inneren“ und „äußerlichen“ Schwierigkeiten von ihrer Mix-Identität zu untersuchen. Ich werde mich hauptsächlich auf zwei von ihren Werken konzentrieren – den Essay …

The Richmond Bread Riot Of 1863: Class, Race, And Gender In The Urban Confederacy, Katherine R. Titus

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

Confederate war clerk, J.B. Jones's description of the Richmond Bread Riot of 1863, clearly highlights the suffering which permeated the urban centers of the Confederacy by the midpoint of the Civil War. The production and transportation of goods became increasingly difficult in the war torn nation. Inflation undermined the value of Confederate currency and made it difficult for those on fixed wages to provide for themselves and their families. The influx of thousands of refugees into Richmond created a deficit of housing in the city and raised the already inflated prices of goods. By 1863, most citizens remarked that they …

Perspective Distortion, Austin W. Clark

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Different Spokes, Meredith Maclauchlan

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Sunlight, Gabriella M. Schiro

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Sidewalk Wandering, Sara M. Thomas

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Luray Cave, Ashleigh K. Zicker

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Gallipoli: The Spark That Would Ignite An Empire, Brendan Quigley

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

The expansion and growth of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1300s is one that has both intrigued and puzzled Western scholars for many years. Small bands of Islamic frontier raiders were able to join together and ultimately become a powerful empire that spanned three continents and had subjects of many different religions, cultural backgrounds and ethnicities. How did this happen? What was the spark that ignited the wildfire that would become the mighty and feared Ottoman Empire? Looking back on Ottoman history, one major acquisition, that is, the successful capture of a peninsula known as Gallipoli or Gelibolu in …

Walls, Preston G. Hartwick

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Paper Heart, Kelly J. Weitner

The Mercury

No abstract provided.