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Sacred Ground: Americans and Their Battlefields
Americans have persistently expressed fascination with the nation's most
famous battlefields through patriotic rhetoric, monument building, physical
preservation, and battle reenactment. But each site is also a place where
different groups of Americans come to compete for ownership of cherished
national stories and to argue about the meaning of war, the importance
of martial sacrifice, and the significance of preserving the nation's
patriotic landscape.
From the anniversary speeches at Lexington and Concord that shaped the
image of the minuteman to Alamo Day speeches invoking the Texas "freedom
fighters" of 1836 in support of the contras in Nicaragua; from passionate
arguments over the placement of Confederate monuments at Gettysburg to
confrontations between militant American Indian Movement and "Custer
loyalists" during the Little Bighorn centennial in 1976; from the
treatment of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor to continuing attempts
to maintain the purity of these places in the face of commercialization--- Sacred
Ground details the ongoing struggles to define, control, and subvert
patriotic faith as expressed at these ceremonial sites.
famous battlefields through patriotic rhetoric, monument building, physical
preservation, and battle reenactment. But each site is also a place where
different groups of Americans come to compete for ownership of cherished
national stories and to argue about the meaning of war, the importance
of martial sacrifice, and the significance of preserving the nation's
patriotic landscape.
From the anniversary speeches at Lexington and Concord that shaped the
image of the minuteman to Alamo Day speeches invoking the Texas "freedom
fighters" of 1836 in support of the contras in Nicaragua; from passionate
arguments over the placement of Confederate monuments at Gettysburg to
confrontations between militant American Indian Movement and "Custer
loyalists" during the Little Bighorn centennial in 1976; from the
treatment of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor to continuing attempts
to maintain the purity of these places in the face of commercialization--- Sacred
Ground details the ongoing struggles to define, control, and subvert
patriotic faith as expressed at these ceremonial sites.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1991
52 people want to read
About the author
Edward Tabor Linenthal
13 books3 followersEdward Linenthal is a Professor of History and Religious Studies at Indiana University: Bloomington.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 6, 2013
Linenthal's text suggests the multiple ways that Americans understand and experience battlefields. He emphasizes the quasi-religious language used around these spaces and extends this analogy into an argument about patriotic "orthodoxy" and "heresy." It's a useful, if somewhat simplistic, argument.
The book is organized around several case-studies and offers a solid overview of the controversies that swirl around American battlefield parks. The study of the American Indian Movement (AIM) activities at the Custer/Little Big Horn National Battlefield Park is particularly interesting and offers the most in-depth analysis of the racial and cultural dynamics to navigate on battlefields.
Unfortunately, it's now a dated text because after 9/11 and the bombing in Oklahoma City the concept of a "battlefield" is deeply problematic. The arguments he makes about patriotic orthodoxy feel shallow post-Patriot Act. Had this book provided a more theoretical take on battlefields it would probably still be relevant. Instead, by recapping controversies, it feels like a snapshot of a how Americans used/responded to battlefields at a particular period of time in the late 1980s.
The book is organized around several case-studies and offers a solid overview of the controversies that swirl around American battlefield parks. The study of the American Indian Movement (AIM) activities at the Custer/Little Big Horn National Battlefield Park is particularly interesting and offers the most in-depth analysis of the racial and cultural dynamics to navigate on battlefields.
Unfortunately, it's now a dated text because after 9/11 and the bombing in Oklahoma City the concept of a "battlefield" is deeply problematic. The arguments he makes about patriotic orthodoxy feel shallow post-Patriot Act. Had this book provided a more theoretical take on battlefields it would probably still be relevant. Instead, by recapping controversies, it feels like a snapshot of a how Americans used/responded to battlefields at a particular period of time in the late 1980s.
January 14, 2011
What an interesting book! I had never thought about the emphasis placed by Americans on battlefields. Oddly enough as a history student I have never visited a battlefield...and this was definitely an eye opening experience and brought up some very interesting issues about history and how it is presented. What do you think? Do you think history should give you the whole picture, or just tell you who won and glorify that?
April 12, 2007
Hmmm...another public history book. We'll see...
AND, it's read. I really liked it actually. It's redundant, but he's a thoughtful author that really makes his readers question their interactions with battle grounds in particular, and historic sites in general. One of my favorite Public History texts this year.
AND, it's read. I really liked it actually. It's redundant, but he's a thoughtful author that really makes his readers question their interactions with battle grounds in particular, and historic sites in general. One of my favorite Public History texts this year.
July 29, 2011
This starts great discussions on the false ideas coming from heritage celebrations and opposed to history. Many historic site's supporters want comfort for an already established agenda.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews