Milestones

Over six months have passed since my last blog post.  Why?  New baby, busy family and a busy work schedule.  These are good reasons, right?  Now that the school year is closing, I finally have a chance to write.

This year marks several significant anniversaries in U.S. and local history - and an exciting time to study history.   Here's a compilation of the milestones of 2012 (in order):

450th Anniversary of the French Arrival on the First Coast
In May of 1562, French explorer Jean Ribault entered what the French called the "River May," today the St. Johns River.  The French later founded Fort Caroline on a high river bluff which became a refuge for Huguenots escaping religious persecution.  The French did not last very long at Ft. Caroline after their slaughter in 1565 by Pedro Menendez of Spain.  Though the French did attempt to re-settle here, they were never successful at regaining a foothold in Florida.  Instead, Florida became a Spanish possession and the river was re-named for Saint John.

I took this picture on the AP U.S. History field trip to Fort Caroline on May 17th.

For further information about this milestone, explore the following:

• Commemorate 450 from the City of Jacksonville
• 450th Anniversary Information from the National Park Service Timucuan Preserve

225th Anniversary of the United States Constitution
In an election year filled with questions of constitutionality and the proper role of the federal government, it is very timely that we mark this important milestone.  The United States Constitution of 1787 is our nation's second constitution, the first being the ineffective Articles of Confederation.

To the right is a picture I took of the actual Constitution at the National Archives in 2005.

As this anniversary approaches, be sure to follow the hashtag #constitution225 on Twitter

200th Anniversary of the War of 1812

The War of 1812 is often considered America's second war for independence.  Though militarily this war was a disaster resulting in the burning of the national capitol and emerging sectionalism, the two and half years of war did result in a surge of nationalism and the drafting of the Star Spangled Banner, later to become the national anthem.  Andrew Jackson's fame was solidified as the victor of New Orleans and Americans began to move west in stronger numbers.  By standing up to the British, the United States legitimized itself as an independent nation.

I have acquired several books on the War of 1812 and I hope to have more posts later this summer.

Some additional resources:

• U.S. Navy's commemoration:  http://www.ourflagwasstillthere.org/
• War of 1812/Star Spangled Banner from the National Museum of American History

150th Anniversary: Civil War Events of 1862, the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Act
I have written several posts regarding the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.  The year 1862 was certainly pivotal as by the close of the year, a long and deadly conflict was now impossible to avoid, a fact now recognized by both sides.  Bloody battles at Shiloh, Antietam and in Virginia foreshadowed the terrible years to come.  By September, Lincoln had issued his Emancipation Proclamation fundamentally changing the war from one of union to one for freedom.

With southern Democrats absent from Congress, Republicans were able to pass two significant laws, the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Act.  These acts opened the west to settlement with free land, business opportunities and an emerging transcontinental railroad network.

To the right is a picture of a homestead grant, taken at the National Archives in 2005.

For further interest:

• Twitter - #CW150 #HomesteadAct150
• The Homestead National Monument of America in Nebraska - on Twitter @HomesteadNM
• Union Pacific's 150th Anniversary Website:  http://www.up150.com/

75th Anniversary: The Golden Gate Bridge
Last week, San Francisco celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.  A technological marvel for its day, the Golden Gate bridge rose above San Francisco Bay at a time when Americans needed a sense of hope, trying desperately to rise above the worst economic depression in history.

Here's a picture I took from the San Francisco side of the bridge in September 2006 while my wife and I were on our honeymoon.


50th Anniversary: The Cuban Missile Crisis
October marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the climax of tensions in the Cold War and the closest the United States and the Soviet Union came to the brink of thermonuclear war.  As I read oral history papers submitted by my students, I continue to learn more about the true fear experienced by Americans during those thirteen troubling days.  One colleague recently shared a story with me about how he, as a second grader here in Jacksonville, wore a dog tag and was issued ration cans in case the civil defense alarms sounded.  I doubt many students in the United States today could share such an experience.

Jacksonville certainly was on heightened alert in those days with three major naval bases all within Duval County.

In regards to the Cold War, since the release of Russian documents after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, historians are learning much more about the very real dangers of the era.

Conclusion


Every year brings a series of anniversaries, though this year does include some of the most significant events in U.S. history. Why do these commemorations and celebrations matter?  Will our knowledge of these events change or improve just because this is an anniversary year?  Maybe.

These anniversaries and commemorations matter because they enhance our collective "American memory."  Celebrating or remembering historical events helps us connect to our national story and build a sense of heritage.  Anniversaries also help reinvigorate discussions and debates on key historical issues - as several of this year's commemorations demonstrate.

Cannons discovered near St. Augustine

This story is a follow-up to my post on American Loyalists (Liberty's Exiles, 6/30/11). 

For years, there have been several shipwreck excavation projects off the coast of St. Augustine.  Two of the cannons recently discovered off the coast of St. Augustine illustrate a link to the Loyalist history of Florida.  See today's article from the Florida Times-Union:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-11-19/story/cannons-coast-reveal-clue-about-centuries-old-shipwreck-site-st

For further interest, see the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP)
 

The Civil War at 150

The 150^th Commemoration of the Civil War began last December (2010) with the first 150^th anniversary, the anniversary of South Carolina's secession.  Obviously, the Civil War is of large importance to United States History.  It truly is a critical turning point in our nation’s history and can be seen as a second American Revolution.  American politics, society and the economy, even geography in some places, were drastically changed through four years of bitter war.  Hundreds of thousands were slaughtered by their own countrymen and millions of lives were affected.  As I mentioned in a previous post, civil wars are usually the least civil of wars and the trauma of this war rattled a generation and shaped the future of the nation.

Even though this is a pivotal event in history textbooks, the understanding of it is not limited to textbooks, websites or the published works of historians.  A century and a half later, this event is still debated today.  It still hooks the interest of ordinary people around the world.  The Civil War is the most written about single event in world history.  Walk into any bookstore and you will find volumes of recently published works all about this one war 150 years ago. (See my previous post)

One popular topic of debate, and one of the many reasons this event is still so thoroughly studied today, is the root cause of the war: the debate on slavery.  The Civil War simply cannot be understood without understanding slavery as the core issue.  As I write this, I know that some disagree on this point.

Since I will most likely be gone on “paternity leave” when we discuss this topic in class, I leave you with the following items:

1. Viewing slavery as a cause for secession is still controversial today.  Here’s an example from Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.  (I’m not usually a fan of this show, but it does bring forth some valid discussion)

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-december-9-2010/the-south-s-secession-commemoration?xrs=share_copy

2. Why is there such a controversy?

Here are some historians on this point:

http://www.history.com/videos/civil-wars-greatest-myth#civil-wars-greatest-myth

(sorry about the advertisement, wish I could help that! be sure to stop the clip at the end)

3. Questions for Class Discussion:

• Why does naming slavery as the main cause of the Civil War (though there are others) create so much controversy today?
• Why do some high school history teachers find it difficult to teach about slavery? (some teachers I have encountered at conferences are very uncomfortable even discussing slavery)
• How is this commemoration of the Civil War (the 150^th) different from previous commemorations (50^th, 100^th, etc)?
• Why does the Civil War still receive such attention, by historians, by ordinary people, by Hollywood?
• Is it appropriate for states to allow the Confederate flag to be displayed in public buildings?

For further interest, here are a few additional resources on this topic:

• My previous blog post on the Civil War: http://broachblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/war-has-begun.html
• How We’ve Commemorated the Civil War: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/How-Weve-Commemorated-the-Civil-War.html
• Civil War 150 from the History Channel: http://www.history.com/interactives/civil-war-150#/home
• More on my links page: http://delicious.com/mbroachbkhs/CivilWar150
• Search this hashtag on Twitter: #CW150
• Follow me on Twitter @michaelbroach – I’ll be tweeting and re-tweeting 150^th-anniversary items!

Rules for History

In Summer School, the students and I began this list... "Broach's Rules for History."  Maybe "theorems for history" would be better?

Of course, these are general statements and with anything in history, nothing is ever 100% correct and there is never a clear right answer... so here it goes:

1.       Watch out for those backcountry folk! They love to rebel.  And sometimes play banjos.  (Ex: Bacon's Rebellion, Shays' Rebellion, Whiskey Rebellion, etc.)

2.       Geography affects everything.

3.       Politics is always personal, regardless of what they tell you!  Just ask Andrew Jackson.

4.       Civil wars are the least civil of wars.

5.       When you split a traditional group of voters, the other side wins. (not always, but often)

6.       When people are poor and starving, they’ll listen to any radical idea (well, depends)

7.       In ideological struggles, symbolism is important.

Can you think of anything else?  Please let me know.

9-11 Remembered

This week, I heard so many Americans recount where they were when they learned of the attacks on September 11th or how this national tragedy touched their lives.  The various media outlets have replayed broadcasts from that day or have aired special programs to commemorate the upcoming anniversary.  In many ways, the entire world was touched by this single day and it begs the question, "where were you?"


So, here's my story:  On the morning of September 11th, I was sitting at my desk at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.  At the time, I worked for the parish as Director of Activities and my office was adjacent to the school's gym.  A co-worker called to tell me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.  Immediately, I turned on the television and within minutes, several of my colleagues and friends gathered in my office to watch the coverage.  We watched in horror as the second plane struck the south tower.  About 30 minutes later, we learned that another plane crashed into the Pentagon.  After that, I drove across the street to the Rectory and spent time with our pastor, Fr. Dan Cody and his family from Ireland to watch the news coverage.  I left after the second tower collapsed and drove to the University of North Florida for my class on Early America.  That day, the professor began class by discussing the tragedy and then allowing anyone who wished to leave to do so.  For those of us who remained, he asked that we continue on with our studies so as not to give in to terrorists hoping to disrupt our way of life.  Shortly after class ended, we learned that the campus would close and that classes for the day were cancelled.  I returned to the parish, cancelled all parish meetings scheduled for that day and contacted ministry directors and the media to inform them that a Mass of Remembrance would be offered that night.  Like any American, the day was filled with so much emotion and disbelief.  Only in my early 20s, I had not experienced a national tragedy such as this.  Given the technological advances of modern media, this tragedy was not transmitted just by simple news reports as was the case with Pearl Harbor.  Ordinary American citizens were witnesses to the destruction and carnage experienced by their fellow Americans in New York, Washington and on Flight 93.  With advances like cellular phones, family members were able to speak with some of the victims before they perished.  This is what makes this tragedy so different and why this anniversary touches each of us.

This ten-year anniversary is a time for remembrance and for healing.  I imagine that in forty years when we commemorate the 50th anniversary, more time will be spent discussing and writing about the significance of September 11th and how it was a critical turning point in American History.  Right now, the political debates since 9/11 are still too relevant to present a true, un-biased history of the responses to the attacks.  Instead, now is the time to tell the story of that day - a day of despair, but also a day of courage, heroism and sacrifice especially for those that gave their lives so that others might live. I hope that with this anniversary, we reclaim that sense of unity we had as Americans in the days following these attacks and join together to remember, to pray for those affected and together, to heal.

So that we never forget what happened that day, I close this post with links to pictures, stories and information about the attacks.  These are the primary sources that we as historians must gather to understand this event better.  As with any historical event, and especially a tragedy such as this, these sources serve as the artifacts of our human story - our experience.  Without understanding the human story, we cannot truly appreciate the event.  As historians, now is the time to lay the ground work so that future generations truly "remember."

"We Remember."  "We Shall Never Forget."

• Timeline for the day of the September 11th Attacks (Wikipedia)
• Primary Sources and Teaching Resources (American Institute for History Education)
• 9/11 Day that Changed the World (Smithsonian Channel)
• September 11: Bearing Witness to History (National Museum of American History)
• Library of Congress 9/11 Documentary Project: Children's Stories / 9-11 through the drawings of Children)
• National 9/11 Memorial in New York City

As I find more of the resources, I will post them to Twitter.  Follow me @michaelbroach

End of Summer and New Beginnings

The end of summer break draws near and I have finished my summer reading with Edward J. Larson's 1997 book, Summer for the Gods.  In this text, Larson gave an in-depth analysis of the famed Scopes Monkey Trial, the events leading to the trial, the trial itself, its immediate aftermath, legacies and historiography.  This particular case truly was the "case of the (20th) century" and marked a key moment in America's ongoing debate on science, religion and education.  Furthermore, it was a key event in the early-1900s emergence of modernism and reactions to modernism, an ideology that the Catholic Church responded to under the leadership of Popes Pius X, Benedict XV and Pius XI (*).  It is also an event that is often misunderstood today, especially with erroneous "histories" written decades later and the popularity of the fictitious and certainly not historically-accurate play turned film, Inherit the Wind. 

*Note: I try to include some Catholic history whenever possible.

As I turn my attention to a new school year and another journey through American History, I look forward to my eighth run of reading, analyzing and discussing the history of our people and our nation with bright, young minds.  This year in particular will bring some important developments in the field of United States History:

1. The continuation of the 150th Commemoration of the Civil War which I have already written about here
2. The 10-year anniversary of the attacks of September 11th.

The Organization of American Historians has dedicated this quarter's issue of the Magazine of History to 9/11.  In reading the first few articles, it is evident that at least the opening historians have a very negative view of the consequences of September 11th and the responses of President George W. Bush.  While I will avoid discussing or challenging those opinions here, it does bring to light this point (or opinion): It is simply too soon to give true historical analysis without the temptation to include one's political beliefs.  I hope that this tenth anniversary will be a time to properly remember those who lost their lives that day, to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty and to remember those soldiers who gave their lives in the years that followed.  Certainly, the legacies of September 11th are still with us and I hope that a genuine commemoration will take place.

I look forward to a new school year of conversation on these and other issues in our nation's past, present and future.

As always, I conclude with a few links:

• Further Reading on the Scopes Monkey Trial
• September 11th Digital Archive
• National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center

The war has begun

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the first major battle of the Civil War at Manassas, Virginia (or as more commonly known, Bull Run).  It was this battle that served as the first sign that this would not be a short and limited war, but one of overwhelming destruction and one that would become a second American Revolution.  My goal was to finish John Keegan's book, The American Civil War: A Military History by today.  I accomplished that goal last night.

I learned so much from Keegan's book that it would be too much to recount here.  The military history of this four-year national saga is one of logistics, of using and overcoming geography and as a human story, of engaging ordinary citizens in shear horrific battle.  Here are just a few examples that prove how massive and traumatic this four-year-struggle was for the ordinary American citizens who lived through it or perished by it:

• Approximately 10,000 battles were fought, 237 were named (Keegan, 362, 77).
• Death toll: Approximately 620,000 - 360,000 Union and 260,000 Confederate; Total casualties (dead, wounded or missing) rank much higher than that (Stats: Keegan, 77).
• There was no large professional army in the United States in 1861 which meant that ordinary citizens had to learn as they fought which only increased the casualty numbers.
• Given the horrors of battle, lethal technology and the spreading of disease, one would expect high amounts of desertion and surrender.  However, whether through loyalty to comrades, to cause or out of a desire to preserve one's dignity, most of these ordinary citizens continued to fight courageously.

Of course, when studying the Civil War, we are left with the question of why.  Why did this war begin and linger so long? Why did Americans fight and continue to fight?

Studying the evidence, it is irrefutable that the debate over slavery and its extension west was the root cause of the secession crisis.  Certainly, most Confederate soldiers did not own slaves and many had very few encounters with African-Americans.  It can be said that for the ordinary citizens of the Confederacy, they fought to preserve the rights of their state.  For many northerners, the cause for which they fought was the preservation of the national union and though some were fervent abolitionists, most in the North were not.  However, the question of race and slavery remained at the core of the national discussion on both sides and it simply cannot be ignored.  Yet, making these statements today is still controversial, especially in the South.

Why is this?  For the southern perspective, many of the memoirs and histories written in the fifty years after Appomattox were intended to redeem the image of the South, a people recovering from the defeat of a traumatic and passionate conflict.  The arguments of these "Lost Cause" historians as well as the depictions in the famous novel turned film, Gone with the Wind, made their way into what historians refer to as "American Memory," the collective knowledge of history by ordinary people.

This is just one aspect of the controversy.  It is my hope that over the next four years of this 150th commemoration, we can reopen the national discussion of the Civil War and truly understand the war, its causes and consequences for what they truly were.  I hope that the distance of 150 years can provide some objectivity to the discussion and that we have an opportunity as Americans to truly learn from and appreciate our shared national heritage.

As always, I will conclude with links for further reading and review:

• The Unintended Revolution in the South (Michael Broach, 2003) - this is a paper I wrote in college, though certainly not an authoritarian source.  Simply a short essay by an amateur college student.
• Historian's Perspective: The Civil War's Greatest Myth (Video Clip by the History Channel):