Americans Losing Interest In The Civil War

[sid]

I just read an article about this in a magazine and I am certain it is true. Interest in the Civil War peaked in the 80's and 90's. The number of re-enactors has now declined drastically. The last Gettysburg re-enactment attracted the fewest number of participants and spectators ever.

Up until a couple of years ago I was very active in giving lectures and slide presentations at Civil War Roundtables. Even then the average age of people in the audience was in the 60's and few young people ever joined.

Various reasons have been give for this loss of interest such as the invention of video games, etc. My own opinion is this has happened because we no longer teach real American History in our schools. Instead the kids get a slanted left-wing version which emphasizes alleged injustices to minorities, illegal immigrants, etc. Most American kids don't even know in which century the Civil War was fought. Let alone the fact that 750,000 men, the overwhelming number of whom were white, died in this conflict to preserve the integrity of our country.

[Roadkingtrax]

How many generations can claim an ancestor in the conflict? I blame loss of personal connections to the past, more than a historically accurate assessment of the events in history. The contemporary writings, articles, and accounts still exist. Those words do not change.

[togor]

Well the political reenactments with live ammo (metaphorically speaking) are going strong. Accounts of 1850s politics read as though freshly-written and ripped from today's headlines. If we can't get enough guys into overstuffed unis and people to watch them, that's OK by me. Usually the book is better than the movie, and more accurate. Reenactments are just not for me.

[Johnny P]

History is no longer taught in our school systems, and the kids have no idea what the Civil War was. Good friend is a Civil War and Indian Wars collector and has three daughters. Just out of curiosity he ask the middle daughter a few simple questions about the Civil War and she didn't have a clue as to what it was about, who was in it, or who won.

[Vern Humphrey]

History is no longer taught in our school systems, and the kids have no idea what the Civil War was. Good friend is a Civil War and Indian Wars collector and has three daughters. Just out of curiosity he ask the middle daughter a few simple questions about the Civil War and she didn't have a clue as to what it was about, who was in it, or who won.

I was in Texas this summer for a family reunion. My grand daughters -- one of whom is in high school -- had never heard of the Alamo.

[clintonhater]

I was in Texas this summer for a family reunion. My grand daughters -- one of whom is in high school -- had never heard of the Alamo.

But she undoubtedly knows ALL about the King of Demagogues!

[blackhawknj]

In this era of one parent families kids get very little history at home and it doesn't help when so many parents use the schools as daycare centers.

[Vern Humphrey]

And the irony is, people who so little about history demand the rest of us accept their view.

Recall how the statue of Joan of Arc was defaced in New Orleans with a demand that it be taken down? The people who did that had no idea who she was.

[Jiminvirginia]

The best history lessons I learned were when my parents took me around to the battle sites and forts from the French and Indian war to the civil war. I don't think parents do that so much now. Too busy with their careers or just trying to survive. Another difference, and not to insult anyone, but on my dad's side we've been here since the pilgrims. History takes on a new meaning when you had an ancestor in the battle. We might be losing the "old Americans".

[blackhawknj]

I lived in Vermont 1956-1959, recall on one of the endless shopping trips with my mother and grandmother-the only thing we did as a family, we drove past the site of the Battle of Bennington-didn't stop of course.

[Jiminvirginia]

I lived in Vermont 1956-1959, recall on one of the endless shopping trips with my mother and grandmother-the only thing we did as a family, we drove past the site of the Battle of Bennington-didn't stop of course.

Sorry but I find this to be kind of sad.

[Roadkingtrax]

The best history lessons I learned were when my parents took me around to the battle sites and forts from the French and Indian war to the civil war. I don't think parents do that so much now. Too busy with their careers or just trying to survive. Another difference, and not to insult anyone, but on my dad's side we've been here since the pilgrims. History takes on a new meaning when you had an ancestor in the battle. We might be losing the "old Americans".

It changes your perspective when you can walk the battlefields or roads where a relative or a hometown regiment once stood.

[Vern Humphrey]

The best history lessons I learned were when my parents took me around to the battle sites and forts from the French and Indian war to the civil war. I don't think parents do that so much now. Too busy with their careers or just trying to survive. Another difference, and not to insult anyone, but on my dad's side we've been here since the pilgrims. History takes on a new meaning when you had an ancestor in the battle. We might be losing the "old Americans".

I lived in Alexandria, Egypt in the mid-'50s, and went out to the battlefields every chance I got. You could find all sorts of stuff out there -- one fellow who worked for my dad found a BMW motorcycle, and we got it running. I had a Bren gun -- but Dad made me leave it behind.

Then I lived outside Yorktown, VA for many years. There are both Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields there. Being a soldier, I walked and studied them all. I think I was most impressed by Cold Harbor -- you can stand there as the sun goes down, and look across the field, and you'd swear you can see the wounded trying to crawl to safety. They lay there for four days, and when Union stretcher bearers finally came onto the field on the afternoon of the fourth day, there were only two left alive.

[JohnPeeff]

I think Roadkingtrax was right when he said most Americans don't have a personal ancestral connection to the civil war.Most are products of the great post civil war immigrations.

[PWC]

As Johnny P says "History is no longer taught in our school systems,...." Tere is NO teaching going on, what passes for teaching now is indoctronation.

When I was young, my buddy and I used to go to Vicksberg and walk the battle field. When you got out into the wood you could find washes where the rain had made little gullies. After fighting the Kudzu, you could find mini bullets in various conditions of just shot to smashed. Also very large shark teeth supposidly millions of years old.

I'm sure they won't let anyone near with a metal detector.

For those that don't know, Kudzu is a vine with large leaves that was introduced into Mississippi to hold back the soil where roads were cut thru hills. It is so successful that it is tremendous tangle foot, and will grow up into trees and will kill trees.
Kudzu.jpg