Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory [Paperback]

James Oliver Horton (Editor), Lois E. Horton (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 22, 2008

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.

Edited by noted historians James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton, this collection explores current controversies and offers a bracing analysis of how people remember their past and how the lessons they draw influence American politics and culture today. Bringing together some of the nation's most respected historians, including Ira Berlin, David W. Blight, and Gary B. Nash, this is a major contribution to the unsettling but crucial debate about the significance of slavery and its meaning for racial reconciliation.

Contributors:
Ira Berlin, University of Marylan
David W. Blight, Yale University
James Oliver Horton, George Washington University
Lois E. Horton, George Mason University
Bruce Levine, University of Illinois
Edward T. Linenthal, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Joanne Melish, University of Kentucky
Gary B. Nash, University of California, Los Angeles
Dwight T. Pitcaithley, New Mexico State University
Marie Tyler-McGraw, Washington, D.C.
John Michael Vlach, George Washington University

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The Hortons, history professors and authors of several books on slavery, offer a fascinating collection of essays on the difficulties historians have faced in examining, recording, and reconciling American slavery in the context of a nation founded on principles of liberty and individual rights. Contributors examine the moral paradox of slaveholding Founding Fathers and more recent controversies concerning issues from reparations to DNA testing to confirm Thomas Jefferson's relationship with his slave Sally Hemings. Other historians analyze how the South and the National Park Service address slavery in public museums and historical sites that retell the history of the Civil War. Among the contributors are David W. Blight, Gary B. Nash, and Ira Berlin, who refers to slavery as "ground zero of race relations" and examines the need to justify slavery in a free nation, forming the basis for unequal race relations to this day. An enlightening look at how slavery is documented and presented in the nation's collective memory. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"What is important about these essays is not what they tell about the past, but what they say about the efforts of public historians to break down the barriers that have made slavery and its legacy invisible at public venues. An outstanding collection."
— Choice

"A fascinating collection of essays on the difficulties historians have faced in examining, recording, and reconciling American slavery in the context of a nation founded on principles of liberty and individual rights. . . . An enlightening look at how slavery is documented and presented in the nationÕs collective memory."
— Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (December 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807859168
• ISBN-13: 978-0807859162
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relevant History, October 16, 2009

By 

Dave Cavanaugh (Alexandria, Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory (Paperback)

Excellent read for local historians and civic groups venturing into making local history more inclusive and meaningful. James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton have assembled a collection of essays that are timely in attempting to present public history. The essays reveal the difficulty and controversy surrounding topics involving the Civil War, slavery and race.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly recommended pick for history readers everywhere, September 28, 2009

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory (Paperback)

Slavery was a great blemish on the history of the land of the free. "Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory" discusses slavery, how the topic is handled by American educators and historians to this day, and how the slavery's legacy should be managed. Many expert historians lend their own opinions to the matter, leading to a highly intriguing and entertaining read for American history enthusiasts. "Slavery and Public History" is a highly recommended pick for history readers everywhere.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Book!, July 10, 2010

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A. LaPlant "Ann" (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory (Paperback)

This simi-autobiographical story of Walter Lenoir brings the period before, during, and after the Civil War to life. Told through journal entries laced together by the author using careful research and other primary sources this great little book helps us understand the hard decisions that were made during the Civil War. Why volunteer to fight for the Confederates cause if you profess to be against slavery? Why would one brother choose to fight for the North while another would choose the South? An interesting look into these and many other issues that illustrate the Civil War era.