Description: The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in 2020 reignited a passionate nationwide debate over Confederate memorials and flags as symbols of white supremacy in our public landscape. Controversies about Confederate monuments, however, have overshadowed more consequential battles over Civil War memory taking place in American politics, popular culture, and civil society today.
Integrating the voices of Civil War historians, public historians, and scholars of contemporary America, They Are Dead and Yet They Live explores the use (and abuse) of Civil War memory in the modern era, from the Civil War Centennial and the civil rights era through the political turmoil of the present day. Moving the conversation of Civil War memory beyond Confederate monuments to crucial debates about the Civil War's usefulness as a frame for understanding America's recent struggles, these essays show how Civil War memory is as politically urgent and socially relevant today as it was a half century ago.Review Quotes: "This is a book of history like few others--a bold step in the evolution of our understanding of the Civil War. Courageous and sometimes provocative, these essays push us to consider the past in the present--how the tendrils of myth and memory have touched every corner of our social and political community and shape the everyday conversation we have about the nature and future of our nation."--John Hennessy, National Park Service historian (retired) and author of Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas