Essay On Civil War Memory

Memories are not an objective ideal. Memories are malleable, adjust themselves based on current events, and up for interpretation. The Civil War has always been a difficult time for Americans to digest as finding common ground seems near impossible. The memories and their interpretation are so divided that it is hard to discern what is true, what is right, and what is biased. With people on all sides fighting for their views, using the memories to promote their particular needs and grievances, the Civil War has never been so complicated. The figures involved are not entirely pure or evil, events may not be as black and white as we think, and the symbols of the war have adjusted meanings. One way that memory ha changed over the years is in the way some view the leading men the Civil War. Many figures have taken on a mythic quality over the years. Whether it be the stoic, strong, Christian leadership of Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson or the rough and tumble no-nonsense strength of Ulysses S Grant, history and memory have shaped them into perfect beings that have been praised for years. However, these views were not always the case for everyone. In a speech by …show more content…
They change with the generations, with the times, even with the events going on. They can be manipulated to fit ones motives and have to be altered as we gain more knowledge of the events of past events. Civil War memories are particularly complex. As Americans our wartime memories usually have us, the good guy, verse them, the bad guy. In the fight against ourselves, who is good and who is bad? Aa it is a dark time in the country’s history it would seem logical to forgive and forget, a very Reconciliatory stance to take on the matter, and yet many people feel drawn to it. They all have their own views and interpretations of the war, whether passes down or developed for themselves. It is a complicated issue that perpetuates the fascination that many Americans hold with the