Mariah Scott -- Post 1:
Living in the south I've had a lot of time to learn the different sides of the story of the Civil War. I grew up in both New Jersey, Florida, and North Carolina and each school that I attended addressed and approached the issue of the Civil War in a different way. Most notable, was the bias in Southern classes toward the confederacy- history lessons consisted of reasons why the south should have won, or of "northern aggression." Some students tried to argue that the South DID win and carried confederate flags in trucks, on license plates or outside of houses. I think what I'm most curious to learn about on this trip is the strong patriotism that the South feels toward the Confederacy; after speaking with some of my peers I have heard that some people feel loyal to keep the Confederate flag up it's a part of our history that they are proud of. I think I'm just a little nervous to hear more of their story, but I feel like it's important to know as many sides of the story. In my northern classes, I felt teachers tried to address both sides, highlighting the good and the bad actions of each side. I'm hoping that these next few days will allow me to expand on this knowledge about the Civil War and our country as a whole.