Reading: Lepore, Epilogue
Points of Entry:
Colonial Williamsburg
colonial reenactment clothing:
Constitution Commemoration:
King Phillip's War Commemoration:
Questions for Discussion:
What are the differences between history and memory?
How does commemoration shape colonial history?
How are your final projects similar or different from the course readings?
Simply put, history is a portfolio of different memories looked at, ideally, from an unbiased view. Memories are all one-sided and only give one point of view to a certain event or chain of events. History uses the memories from many people or sources, looking at the same event at different perspectives, in an attempt to find "what really happened."
ReplyDeleteI think that commemorations often over simplifies what actually happened. For example, commemorations of the Declaration of Independence will highlight the founding fathers and ideas like freedom and democracy, while down playing the collaborative nature of the document and the complicated issues at hand in the document. In an attempt to honor events that are important for U.S. national identity, certain aspects will get magnified, and some issues that had been important get lost in commemorations.
ReplyDeleteWell I think commemorations are a way to preserve history for some but it is only a glimpse into history. We don't get to see the facts surrounding the event or who a statue is representing. All we see is that someone decided he or she is a hero that should be remembered.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the differences between history and memories...I don't know if there is any difference. History is written from the memories of people. A memory personalizes histories and gives it a point of view.