Beyond the Fireworks

Being a huge fan of American history, this is always been a special time of the year for me. The gaining of our independence and subsequent protection of our freedom is a long tale fraught with courage, determination, and sacrifice. The two films that always leap into my mind when I consider these virtues that have helped fashion the United States of America are Saving Private Ryan and Glory. I can never watch either of these without a lump climbing in to my throat and moisture finding its way into my eye. This year, in order to further recognize the holiday I wanted to gain a bit of perspective of its place in our collective story.

It originally started out in the years immediately after the Civil War when the combined loss of over 600,000 soldiers killed in the conflict created a new cultural focus on burial and remembrance. Its original name was Decoration Day and did not come to be known as Memorial Day until after World War Two. The date of May 30th was originally chosen as it had no affiliation with any specific battle and was a peak time for most flowers to be in bloom, according to White House historical accounts. In 1967 Congress passed legislation causing the holiday to be celebrated on the fourth Monday of May, much to the dismay of veterans who felt this change would weaken the observance of the actual holiday.

So this Memorial Day, let's keep in mind the real purpose of the holiday that is beyond the fireworks and bottles of sunscreen, the bags of charcoal and pool openings. Think of the people in our Armed Forces that are currently overseas and those that have gone on before. It is up to us to recognize what they do and what has been done by others in the past.

How about you, are there any books or films that you like to experience at this time of the year?

I wish everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!

What if the Confederacy won the Civil War?

I overheard my coworkers commenting on the rekindled interest in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War that seems to be occurring in pop culture, with the release of the Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln. The movie is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals : The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.  Of course there is also Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever strumming up interest in history.

Regarding the Civil War books, one of my coworkers joked "do not spoil the ending for me!" It is interesting that a lot of historical fiction tells stories we might already know the ending to. But it is the storytelling itself that draws an audience, along with discovering new details or perspectives on a historical event. 

But what about if history deviated from its course? Then you get a delicious genre of books known as alternative/alternate history. 

Image courtesy of altrapoint.com

For example, what if Abraham Lincoln balanced political duties with hunting down vampires? Then you get Seth Grahame-Smith's quirky horror/action combo Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Or what if the Confederates won the U.S. Civil War? Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory series traces the reasons for the victory and consequences through the the 1940's. The books begin with How Few Remain. 

In Philip Roth's The Plot Against America, Charles Lindbergh defeats FDR in the 1940 election, and brings about an era of extreme anti-Semitic sentiment in the United States as he decides not to oppose Hitler in World War II.

An Axis victory in World War II is a large subdivision in the alternative history genre.

British comedian Stephen Fry's Making History is a time-travel book where a student and teacher manage to ensure Hitler is never born, but accidentally pave the way for a superior Nazi leader to come into power and subsequently win WWII. 

In Philip K. Dick's award-winning The Man in the High Castle, the United States loses WWII and becomes a Fascist state where Germany, Italy, and Japan conspire against one another.

Of course, the science fiction television show Sliders explored the idea of time-traveling through parallel universes which featured plenty of alternative history to keep things exciting.  

 

If you are interested in exploring what could have been, click here: "Alternative History" to see a list of library materials that fall under the genre. Also check out the winners of the "Sidewise Award for Alternate History" for great reading ideas.

Why Is There a Question Mark Next to Frederick Douglass's Birth Date?

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, one of the great minds of the 19th century, was never sure of the date on which he was born. Nor was he sure of the year. His birth year of 1818 is followed by a question mark in the World Book Encyclopedia, as well as in the American Civil War Reference Library and other reference sources.

What was it like to go through life without knowing the most basic facts about yourself? Incomprehensible to us today, this was common amongst slaves, who were denied education--state laws made it illegal to educate slaves--and forbidden to read and write. As The American Civil War Reference Library says, in its entry on Frederick Douglass: "Most slave owners tried to prevent their slaves from learning much about themselves or the world around them. They believed that educated slaves would be more likely to become dissatisfied with their lives. For this reason, Douglass received no information about his birth. 'By far the larger part of slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs,' [Douglass] explained, 'and it is the wish of most masters within my knowledge to keep their slaves thus ignorant.'"

In spite of living in an unjust society marked by brutal and inhumane oppression, Douglass learned to read, which marked the beginning of his march toward freedom. He went on to become a great leader in the fight to end slavery, aided immensely by his eloquence as a writer and public speaker.

Given Douglass's accomplishments, it makes sense that Negro History Week, which began in 1925, was celebrated in February to include the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Its aim was to highlight the contributions of African-Americans' to our lives.

It has since evolved into African-American History Month, this year's theme of which is African-Americans and the Civil War, to honor "the efforts of people of African descent to destroy slavery and inaugurate universal freedom in the United States" (Library of Congress).

A wonderful and moving film on this subject is Glory, starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick. Based on the heroism of the first black regiment of the Civil War, the Glory DVD also includes a documentary about the regiment narrated by Morgan Freeman.

Also worth checking out: The Slaves' War: The Civil War in the Words of Former Slaves by historian and former NPR commentator Andrew Ward. Praised by Publishers Weekly as "a groundbreaking history, the Civil War is recounted from the previously silent victims that it most directly affected: the slaves themselves. Through hundreds of interviews, diaries, letters and memoirs, Ward offers an entirely new perspective of the war."

If you want to learn more about the remarkable Frederick Douglass, a good starting place is Frederick Douglass: Selected Speeches and Writings, part of the Library of Black America series. Also worth checking out is Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. This is the first of Douglass's three autobiographies, and it is available on CD as well as in book format.

We have many other titles on African-Americans and the Civil War, as well as masterworks of fiction by authors including James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Ernest Gaines and ZZ Packer. Take one of them home to celebrate African-American History Month, take comfort in the knowledge that all of us are free to educate ourselves at the library, and take inspiration from this Frederick Douglass quotation, no less relevant today than in the 19th century: "Without struggle there can be no progress."