The Rise of a New America and the Reinterpretation of the Past
Part II: The Transformation of Southern Memory in the Modern Era (1900–1945)
Part II: The Transformation of Southern Memory in the Modern Era (1900–1945)
(This is Part Two of a Great Series by Owen Wright over at the Southern Academis Series. It is well worth the follow through link. While you’re there subscribe or follow. If you missed Part One, go here… - DD)
(Owen Wright, Southern Academic Series) - The opening decades of the 20th century brought profound changes to the United States. Industrial expansion, urbanization, immigration, technological development, and shifting political alliances transformed the nation. The America of 1900 was increasingly different from the agricultural republic that had existed during the Civil War era.
As the nation entered this period of transformation, historical memory itself became a field of cultural and political debate. Past events were frequently reexamined through the concerns of the present. The meaning assigned to historical figures, symbols, and regional identities evolved as Americans attempted to understand rapid social change.
The Confederate legacy was not immune from this process. A historical movement that originated in the 19th century as an effort of remembrance increasingly became interpreted through the political conflicts of the modern era. The image of the Confederate South became a symbol onto which later generations projected their own debates about nationalism, economics, social order, and…
