Walk into any big bookstore like Barnes and Noble or Borders, and you are likely to find an entire bookshelf or more devoted to books about the Civil War and key figures from the era. Clearly, among historians there is still great interest in writing about the Civil War Era. In 2009, the bicentennial anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, over 60 books were published about Lincoln alone! And since 2011 marks the bicentennial of the beginning of the War, historians will be busy again this year, trying to make sense of the conflict, its causes, and its consequences for newly interested audiences.

The Civil War era has never been solely the concern of historians, however. It is an era that has a special grip on numerous Americans today for a variety of reasons. At his inauguration in 2008, Barack Obama swore the presidential oath by placing his hand on President Abraham Lincoln’s Bible, an action rich with symbolism given Lincoln’s role in the wartime emancipation of African American slaves. Some Confederate heritage groups, meanwhile, are working this year to promote their own version of the war’s history and meaning. The timing of this course and the bicentennial of the War thus provides us with a unique opportunity to consider the differences between “memory” and “history,” to talk about the way the Civil War is and has been remembered–even in our own backyard at Rice. We will also to delve into historical questions that are still of interest to professional historians and non-historians alike. These questions include, but are not limited to: What caused the war? What were its participants fighting for? Why did the Confederacy lose, and what exactly did the Union win?

Learning Objectives

Students in this course will learn …

• To evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different historical arguments related to questions related to the Civil War Era.
• To take their own positions on these questions and support these positions with sound reasoning and evidence.
• To identify and think critically about the social, cultural, and political factors that influence the way the past is remembered at different moments in time.
• To work collaboratively to make historically informed, reflective judgments about how to commemorate and interpret the Civil War Era for public audiences today.

Because students in this course will also work on a digital archive project related to the commemoration of a Civil War battle fought here in Texas, another objective will be to learn how to use various digital tools to present historical documents and interpretations in online environments. This could include learning how to use some (though not necessarily all) of the following tools: Omeka, SIMILE/Timeline, Flickr, GIS mapping software, audio/visual recording and editing equipment and software, and WordPress.

What to Expect

Expect to attend class. Attentive attendance in every class will be crucial to your success in the course.

Do not expect this course to be a “blow by blow” history of battles, events, and major figures in the Civil War. (If you would like a detailed but accessible history of the War that amply covers the military narrative, I suggest you consult James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, which is widely available at bookstores.) We will have occasion to talk and read some about military history, but we will also range far beyond the battlefield and the Civil War itself.

Expect to do a lot of reading for this course. Four required books are listed below, and we will read and discuss all of them in class. I will supplement these books throughout the semester by assigning short articles and historical documents as additional readings. Additional readings may not always be discussed in class as fully as the books, but completing them is still essential to meeting the course’s learning objectives.

Expect to succeed. My only reason for covering topics in class or assigning reading outside of class will be to assist you in meeting the learning objectives for the course. That means that if you apply yourself to doing the work in this class, you can expect to learn. On the other hand, if you decide you can’t commit to doing all the work or to attending class, then don’t expect to learn what the course is designed to teach.

Required Books

These books are available for purchase at the Rice University bookstore or on various online stores like Amazon.com, which often have cheaper prices. Please purchase these books at the beginning of the semester so that you will have them when it is time to read them. The Rice bookstore does not keep the books in stock all semester long.

• Thomas J. Brown, The Public Art of Civil War Commemoration: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004). ISBN: 978-0312397913, Amazon
• ​Chandra Manning, What This Cruel War Was Over: Soldiers, Slavery, and the Civil War (Vintage, paperback, 2008). ISBN: 978-0307277329, Amazon
• ​Eric Foner, Nothing But Freedom: Emancipation and its Legacy (Louisiana State University Press, paperback, new edition, 2007). ISBN: 978-0807132890, Amazon
• Bruce Levine, Confederate Emancipation: Southern Plans to Free and Arm Slaves during the Civil War (Oxford, paperback, 2007). ISBN: 978-0195315868, Amazon

Note on Disability Support Services

If you have a documented disability that will impact your work in this class, please contact me outside of class to discuss accommodations confidentially. You will also need to contact and register with the Disability Support Services Office, located in Allen Center.