#MoreHistory2021

The Journal of the Civil War Era invites historians to join us on Sat., Sept. 18 from 12 to 2 p.m. ET for #MoreHistory2021, a nationwide collaborative demonstration of good history in public. 

#MoreHistory2021 aims to link history educators across institutional boundaries, to illuminate aspects of Civil War Era history that are often neglected or misunderstood. 

Historians bring a commitment to truth-telling and to teaching — to deepening historical knowledge about slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the use of public propaganda in the late 19th and 20th centuries to hide and distort the past. 

We ask you to select a site and, where possible, work with local stakeholders to plan educational activities and displays of research. We particularly seek to illuminate neglected or absent histories of African Americans and to disrupt, challenge, and complicate “Lost Cause” narratives. Our goal is to transform sites of history into outdoor classrooms where educators, visitors, and passers-by can explore the past together. 

Our hashtag this year is #MoreHistory2021, and we are working collaboratively with the National Park Service at some sites. If you’re interested in appearing at a National Park Service site, please let us know and we will do our best to link you with people there. 

Between now and Sept. 18, we will provide advice on how you might organize your event and post articles from previous initiatives. To join our mailing list and receive updates, please fill out this form and see our introduction to this year’s event on the journal’s YouTube page.

— Greg Downs, Hilary Green, Scott Hancock, and Kate Masur

 

Need inspiration, see previous Muster posts on last year’s events. 

LeeAnna Keith’s Commemorating the NYC Draft Riots: A Call to Action in the Classroom

Julie Mujic’s Civil War Day of Action: Leading a Reading Group

Hilary Green’s Civil War Day of Action: Filling Historical Silences

Adrienne Petty, Extending the Civil War Day of Action

Melissa Stuckey, Responding to the Call: Engaging the Public In Conversations About African American Civil War Participation