Race and Reunion

How did Black Americans preserve emancipationist memory of the Civil War?

Blight argues that “Reconstruction was at once a struggle over ideas, interests, and memories” (51). Explain what he means, using examples from the book to support your points.

Blight writes, “And almost always, we reminisce not merely to render the past retrievable, but to serve present interests and needs” (173). Explain how this rings true for the present day United States with regard to Civil War memory.

Blight points out, “[Albion] Tourgée’s insights into Civil War memory at this pivotal juncture remain to haunt us in our own time, especially his commentary on the consequences of the reconciliationist vision for African American liberty and memory” (220). Explain how America today is reckoning with the consequences to which Blight refers and which Tourgée identified in his work that countered the 19th-century “plantation school” of Southern literature.

Blight suggests that modern controversies over Confederate symbols and monuments trace their origins to the era covered in his book. Blight published Race and Reunion in 2001. How have these controversies intensified in recent years, and how does Blight’s study inform your understanding of these conflicts?

What role did the Spanish-American War play in solidifying reconciliation?

Blight writes, “Just as reminiscence reflects essentially the need to tell our own stories, so too crusades to control history demonstrate the desire to transmit to the next generation a protective and revitalizing story” (291). Blight wrote about Southern efforts to control the historical narrative about the Civil War. How do current efforts to control the content of curricula in schools illustrate Blight’s point?

Blight argues that today, “Civil War nostalgia is still rooted in the fateful memory choices made in the latter two decades of the nineteenth century” (313). Do you agree? Explain and provide examples to support your assertions.