Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory

by James Oliver Horton, Lois E. Horton

Overview

America's slave past is being analyzed as never before, yet it remains one of the most contentious issues in U.S. memory. In recent years, the culture wars over the way that slavery is remembered and taught have reached a new crescendo. From the argument about the display of the Confederate flag over the state house in Columbia, South Carolina, to the dispute over Thomas Jefferson's relationship with his slave Sally Hemings and the ongoing debates about reparations, the questions grow ever more urgent and more difficult.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781565849600
Publisher:	New Press, The
Publication date:	05/01/2006
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

James Oliver Horton is the Benjamin Banneker Professor Emeritus of American Studies and History at George Washington University.

Lois E. Horton is professor of history emerita at George Mason University.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 Coming to Terms with Slavery in Twenty-First-Century America Ira Berlin 1

2 If You Don't Tell It Like It Was, It Can Never Be as It Ought to Be David W. Blight 19

3 Slavery in American History: An Uncomfortable National Dialogue James Oliver Horton 35

4 The Last Great Taboo Subject: Exhibiting Slavery at the Library of Congress John Michael Vlach 57

5 For Whom Will the Liberty Bell Toll? From Controversy to Cooperation Gary B. Nash 75

6 Recovering (from) Slavery: Four Struggles to Tell the Truth Joanne Melish 103

7 Avoiding History: Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, and the Uncomfortable Public Conversation on Slavery Lois E. Horton 135

8 Southern Comfort Levels: Race, Heritage Tourism, and the Civil War in Richmond Marie Tyler-McGraw 151

9 "A Cosmic Threat": The National Park Service Addresses the Causes of the American Civil War Dwight T. Pitcaithley 169

10 In Search of a Usable Past: Neo-Confederates and Black Confederates Bruce Levine 187

11 Epilogue: Reflections Edward T. Linenthal 213

Notes 225

Contributors 253

Index 257

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

An invigorating book, written by historians who have emerged from the archives to grapple with misleading and hurtful tales that have been part of our national tradition. In these vibrant accounts boring history becomes lively practice, and the American public shows that it can embrace new research, more complex understandings, and more honest interpretation. I'll never take the words on a historic marker for granted again.—Linda K. Kerber, author of No Constitutional Right to Be Ladies: Women and the Obligations of Citizenship

Destined to become a popular text in museum studies and public history courses, Slavery and Public History also merits attention from anyone interested in the history of slavery, memory, and contemporary American culture.—H-Net Reviews

Editorial Reviews

A chastening reminder that many are still missing the point [of black history in America], and even that the point may be more elusive than we thought. . . . Scattered throughout the book are many fascinating stories.—Times Literary Supplement

From the Publisher