Dressing Up To Unveil The Past: Civil War Re-enactment Survey

NORTH CAROLINA — North Carolina is no stranger to war. As a backdrop for both the Revolutionary War and Civil War, the state's history is woven tight to periods of combat and bloodshed. But when it comes to accurately and honestly marking that past, where is the line between history and nostalgia?

Finding balance in presenting historical context is important, a tour guide at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Plantation in Charlottesville, Va., told Clint Smith, author of "How The Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With The History of Slavery Across America."

"I've come to realize that there's a difference between history and nostalgia, and somewhere between these two is memory," the guide told Smith. "I think that history is the story of the past, using all the available facts, and that nostalgia is a fantasy about the past using no facts, and somewhere in between is memory, which is kind of this blend of history and a little bit of emotion. ... I mean, history is kind of about what you need to know … but nostalgia is what you want to hear."

Last month, some people believe the line was crossed at Historical Latta Plantation. Operations at the living history museum came to a halt after a controversial event that was sympathetic to the plight of white slaveholders was planned on June 19, or Juneteenth, the day recognized as the end of slavery in the United States. The operator of the living history museum was also criticized by some in the community for hosting summer camps for children that involved Civil War-era role-play.

SEE ALSO: Historic Latta Plantation Closed Amid Juneteenth Dustup

Pressure to accurately reflect historical fact is mounting elsewhere, too.

In Georgia, Stone Mountain Memorial Association board members agreed in May to change some of the symbols and imagery — and acknowledge the true history — of the world's largest Confederate monument. Among the new resolutions was approval for a new on-site exhibit that officials said would "tell the truth" about the mountain carving of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee and public acknowledgment that the park was once a gathering spot for the Ku Klux Klan.

At a time when our country is undergoing a racial reckoning, is it appropriate to dress up in uniforms and role-playing combat events from the Civil War, whether that re-creation of events is factually authentic or not? Patch wants to know what you think.

The survey is not meant to be a scientific poll, with random sampling and margins of error. It's meant only to gauge the sentiments of our readers in an informal way.

Fill out the form below or click here to take the survey.