Stories Retold, Memories Remade

The chapter considers how traditional ways of remembering the Civil War began to shift as fewer of the war’s participants – soldiers and civilians – were still alive. Important new actors helped shape new memories about the war including writers and artists in the New Deal’s Federal Arts programs, the National Park Service (now serving as stewards of many Civil War battlefields), and producers and artists in Hollywood. These new actors gave greater visibility to Civil War stories that had often been overlooked – including John Brown’s antislavery crusade and tales that more explicitly acknowledged racial oppression. Still, Lost Cause themes showed surprising staying power, albeit in ways that were adapted for modern audiences.