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"Prime Time Live" Re-writes Civil War History
Author: Michael J. Swogger
Published on: July 9, 1998
Related Subject(s): Historiography , Prime time live (Television program) , United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
I don't know how many of you witnessed it, but several weeks ago Prime Time Live re-wrote American Civil War history. It was an in-depth narrative about Civil War re-enactors, and what started out as a decent story that seemed to review a book written about Southern re-enactor turned into an American fairytale filled with ethnocentric myths and hegemony.
I'll get into the meat of it all in a second. But some of you may be asking, "why have you waited this long to tell us?" Well, I e-mailed Prime Time the day after the horrendous story and I let them know how displeased I was with their piece (I was very civil, I promise). Well, I figured I'd at least give them some time to respond. Now nearly three weeks later, I have heard nothing from them. And with that in mind, let me now take the next step in letting them know my outrage for their passing off vicious historical fallacies as "commonly-known" fact.
As I stated before, the beginning of the narrative seemed harmless. The narrator of the piece (I'm sorry I can't recall who it was, but his name was the last thing on my mind after I saw the story) began with a simple review of what re-enactors do, from fully re-living history not allowing for any modernity to fighting out historical battles. I was quite pleased with the first half of the show.
But then it turned ugly. The narrator asked the question, "But is it moral to re-enact as a Southern soldier?" He went on to imply that because the Southern way of life (i.e. slavery) was "wrong," then re-enacting as a Southerner was an endorsement of that way of life. He questioned the act of being a slave re-enactor and whether that in itself was wrong. He further conveyed the myth that, from the Northern point of view, the War was fought to end slavery, while the South was fighting to preserve it. Essentially, his version of history depicted the North as the good guys and the South as the bad guys. The North won because we were fighting for a just cause. How outrageous!
At that point I was furious. I could not believe that he actually was given permission to put this bologna on the air. In my e-mail to them, I did my absolute best to set the record straight. The vast majority of Northerners were not fighting to free the slaves. In fact, they did not want them free any more than most Southerners for the same racist, economic, and social reasons. That is why thousands of Yankees were outraged by the Emancipation Proclamation. They did not like the fact that Lincoln turned the War for the Union into the War against slavery. They did not sign up to fight for that cause.
In addition, it had to be noted that most Southerners weren't fighting to keep the institution of slavery. As a matter of fact, a great majority of Southern soldiers did not even own slaves. They were fighting for their land and rights to live as they chose. They, as were Northerners, were fighting for what they thought was right. Shelby Foote in Ken Burns' The Civil War explained it well when he said a Northern soldier asked a Southerner why he was fighting the War. The Southerner replied, "because you're down here," meaning you are invading our land and I have to defend myself. That is why many Southerners joined the cause.
Folks, every Civil War soldier was in some way an American, whether U.S. soil-born and bred or a recently arrived immigrant seeking a better life like most of our ancestors were. Our entire nation, North and South, was responsible for the institution that was slavery. Both sides were complacent with the issue. But Prime Time did not tell it that way. They perpetuated a horrible myth that endorses racism and bigotry and gives our children a false sense of their history. Southern heritage is American heritage. No one promised that our past would be full of roses. But if we create a living history like these re-enactors do, whether a soldier, army wife, or slave, it tells history as it was, acknowledges the mistakes we have made, and gives us pride in how far we have come.
So, if you saw the episode, stop by the Prime Time Live homepage and send them an e-mail letting them know how you feel. It is about time that we as conveyors of knowledge and history tell the truth about our history, ugly or not, and ensure that these truths are instilled in our children. That is the responsibility of the media especially; a responsibility breached by Prime Time Live that night
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