Photographs and paintings, articles and poems, and even songs all are artifacts capturing a moment in time and the feelings and thoughts of its contemporary people. They can be used as a lense to peer into the past not only both objectively and subjectively, through the eyes of people suspended in that time. In war especially, its “artifacts” can be used to observe contingent elements and the transformation of reality and the perception of society during said war. I say “reality” and “perception” because texts, drawings, and even photographs (which one would think to be objective as it is capturing something real and tangible) are only representations of one person’s viewpoint; reality can only be captured to a certain degree. However, these perceptions are important and reveal a more wide spectrum of angles from which to view history. For example, in regards the Civil War, through the observation of American “artifacts” dating back to that time, one can observe the shift in the way colored people were viewed as the “long war” (a term used by Professor Fahs to describe the physical war along with the war on slavery that preceded it) progressed. |
It is clear that long before the start of the Civil War, most white Americans were skeptical about the abolition of slavery, as the idea of color men and women walking freely amongst white men and women was completely unorthodox at the time. As evidenced in the political cartoon above, people actually feared the assimilation of a different race (which many considered “lesser”) into their society. However, the abolitionist movement grew and white and black people alike began to speak out against the injustice that was slavery and racism. After the start of the way, Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave known for his eloquent and poignant way with words, wrote a text titled “What Shall be Done with the Slaves if Emancipated?” in which he argued that it really was not the business of anybody but the colored man what would become of him after emancipation, that he is a person just as much as any other person, and that he would be capable of finding his own way in society as white men had done for many years. This is an example of the changing views of colored people, both by others and by themselves; they were beginning to be seen not as a lesser people, but as fellow human beings lacking basic rights. Finally, black people, the men especially, began being portrayed and seen in a more heroic light, as they were allowed to enlist in the Union. Their uniforms seemed to provide them with an aura of honor and respectability like never before, and pictures such as the painting to the right began appearing, depicting the black soldier in new, more positive manner. |
It really intrigues me, how strokes of a pencil or a brush or words on a page can capture not only the facts of history, but send you back in time through the eyes of those that actually lived those events. The contingency of the Civil War and the evolving perspectives and unfolding changes that occurred can be seen through the close observation of these "artifacts," pieces of art and literature from long ago. In the preparation for and writing of my upcoming essay, I hope to be able to observe even more fascinating works and the historical nuances that they represent.