It is an honor and a pleasure that Cincinnati Civil War Round Table member Kris Teters returns to the podium after being away from our group for several years.

As part of the nationwide effort to commemorate the Civil War Centennial (1961-1965), the Alabama Civil War Centennial Commission was created in 1959. With historian Albert B. Moore as its executive director, the Commission led numerous county commissions in organizing commemorative activities throughout the state during the centennial period. A distinctive rhetoric of romance and unity emerged in these commemorative exercises. During the course of the centennial, caucasian Alabamians constantly advanced a romantic version of their past, in which they could safely venerate the heroic virtues of their ancestors and the society that produced them. The historical issues of slavery and emancipation were shoved aside, for they did not fit into, and in fact, undermined this romantic Lost Cause narrative of the Southern past that white Alabamians were carefully constructing. Alongside this romance, there was a clear rhetoric of unity that called for North and South to rally together behind their common Civil War heritage.

Yet, just as Alabamians were observing the Civil War centennial, African-Americans were struggling to gain their civil rights. The Alabama Civil War centennial’s rhetoric of romance was utilized as a weapon and defense mechanism against this struggle. As African-Americans challenged white Alabamians’ social order in every way, the centennial allowed caucasian Alabamians to immerse themselves in a romantic past where the world seemed harmonious, perfect, and just. In short, romance allowed them to escape to an ideal past, in which they could better weather the storm of the present.

Mr. Teters’ presentation investigates these and other aspects of the intriguing Civil War Centennial in Alabama. Perhaps the audience will see just how easily history can be used (or abused) to justify a political, economic, or social platform.

Location:   The Drake Center, West Pavilion, Cincinnati, OH

For more information:   http://www.cincinnaticwrt.org/canister_list.html