Reflection on “Landmarks of Power: Building a Southern Past, 1885-1915”
The article “Landmarks of Power: Building a Southern Past, 1885-1915” written by Catherine Bishir presents an argument about shaping of public memory at the turn of the twentieth century. Bishir says that the elite at the turn of the century took control of the state of North Carolina and formed a “redeemer” government that intentionally influenced public memory through monuments and architecture, replacing the gains of reconstruction with a return to white supremacy and esteem of the Confederate cause, showcasing their hopes for the future.
The argument that Bishir presents is solid and well structured. Her source base is varied and presents evidence from a variety of standpoints that capture the …show more content…
She argues that the breakdown of the paternalistic structure of Southern society disintegrated when the men left to fight in the war, and that the experiences of couples illuminates how women thought of and communicated about this change to their husbands. Litke’s work has many positive attributes of a solid historical argument. Her use of letters for drawing conclusions about the thoughts and feelings of Southern couples was exemplary. The interpretation of those letters and the inferred for the purposes of her argument makes it very strong because of the nature of the primary sources and supports her bold claim that the women wanted patriarchy (54). Furthermore, she moves from a broad discussion of Southern society and tensions to specific examples using the situations of the four couples that appropriately illustrate what she is
The article “Landmarks of Power: Building a Southern Past, 1885-1915” written by Catherine Bishir presents an argument about shaping of public memory at the turn of the twentieth century. Bishir says that the elite at the turn of the century took control of the state of North Carolina and formed a “redeemer” government that intentionally influenced public memory through monuments and architecture, replacing the gains of reconstruction with a return to white supremacy and esteem of the Confederate cause, showcasing their hopes for the future.
The argument that Bishir presents is solid and well structured. Her source base is varied and presents evidence from a variety of standpoints that capture the …show more content…
She argues that the breakdown of the paternalistic structure of Southern society disintegrated when the men left to fight in the war, and that the experiences of couples illuminates how women thought of and communicated about this change to their husbands. Litke’s work has many positive attributes of a solid historical argument. Her use of letters for drawing conclusions about the thoughts and feelings of Southern couples was exemplary. The interpretation of those letters and the inferred for the purposes of her argument makes it very strong because of the nature of the primary sources and supports her bold claim that the women wanted patriarchy (54). Furthermore, she moves from a broad discussion of Southern society and tensions to specific examples using the situations of the four couples that appropriately illustrate what she is