Confederates in the Attic: Discussion Questions
Have you ever participated or known someone who has participated in a reenactment? Were you exposed to Civil War celebrations as a part of your family or community life? Do you know if there were any Civil War soldiers that were in your family?
On page 22, an Oklahoman who lives in Salisbury, NC says "In school I remember learning that the Civil War ended a long time ago.... Folks here don't see it that way. They think it's still half-time." Is that the way you think about the Civil War? How about the people you know or the people in your town? Why do you [they] think so [or not]?
Did the activities described in the book (reenactment, "hardcore" living history, etc.) strike you as funny, bizarre and/or inappropriate? Why/why not?
How well do you think this book conveys the range of meanings that people you know give to the Civil War today?
What scenes from the book made the biggest impression on you and why?
Do you identify with the South? If so, what does the South mean to your identity?
What Southern stereotypes and regional differences were captured in this reading?
What do you think was the relationship between slavery and the Civil War? How was this issue taught in your high school or discussed in your family? Beyond the question of the Civil War itself, how important is it (how much stress should we give to the fact that) slavery was a central part of American life from 1619 to 1865 -- 246 years?
Do men and women and whites and blacks perceive or remember the Civil War differently? How? Why? Do all "true" southerners perceive or remember the War the same way? Do you think race and gender affect perceptions about the Civil War? What examples from the book can you provide to support your argument?
How should modern Americans memorialize or remember the Civil War? What part should memories of the Civil War play in modern American public life or public culture? How should we teach it in the University? What should modern America know about it?
Free time and leisure are often "precious" to adults. Why do you think Civil War reenactments are popular as a form of leisure?
What does the Confederate flag mean to you? How does that compare to what it meant to others in the book?
Should the Confederate flag be allowed to be displayed in public areas? Why/why not?
This book is a non-fiction account from one person's perspective about the Civil War. How do you "trust" information that you read? What sort of reassurances do you look for when reading an account of real events? Have you had any experiences that match/counter Horwitz's interpretations?
Chapter 13 has invoked some controversy. Mrs. Martin's Power of Attorney charges that the book misrepresents information about her as the last living widow of a Confederate. This claim raises a few basic questions: What is "truth" in such ostensibly historical accounts, and to what degree is the author responsible as a journalist to account the facts? What liberties with the "truth" can a writer take? Is it even possible to recount events (past or present) without reshaping them somehow?
Approximately 178,000 African American men served in the Union Army, about ten percent of the northern forces in the Civil War. Thousands more worked for the Union in civilian capacities, building fortifications, driving wagons, and so forth. Many of these soldiers and workers and their families had escaped slavery by fleeing to Union military lines. Thousands of enslaved African Americans also labored for the Confederacy in support capacities, but there is no evidence that significant numbers of blacks were involved in combat for the South. In light of these experiences, how should African Americans remember the Civil War? How should Americans as a whole recognize or interpret the African American role in the Civil War?
How do you think the Civil war has impacted Southern culture? Northern culture?
Should the US government apologize for slavery or offer monetary compensation to the descendants of its victims? How about the state of North Carolina?
Do Americans generally regard their national history with too much or too little attention? Does America differ from other countries in this?
How do you think the issues raised by this book should affect your education at Carolina and/or your life as a citizen today?
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Last revised: August 2, 2000