Now at the last minute, it may be that America will indeed, have a national Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. Last Wednesday, U.S. Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA) reintroduced the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission Act, legislation many Americans had hoped to see passed long before now.
"We must remember the legacies of the Civil War," said Landrieu. "The United States emerged completely altered after the four years of struggle, and as a testament of American resilience, grew stronger than it was before.”
Senator Webb’s support heralds a bit closer to home. “As someone with ancestors who fought on both sides of the American Civil War, its 150th Anniversary has personal significance. It is important that all Americans remain aware of the many sacrifices made by soldiers and civilians on both sides, and of the long-term impact of the Civil War on our country."
Webb went on to explain that “the intention of this commission is to ensure the proper recognition of the sesquicentennial, building upon previous legislative efforts to support education and commemoration of this turning point in American history.”
The Virginia senator has led the charge on a number of Senate measures to protect and expand battlefields and national parks, as well as designate and fund historic sites and landmarks. Paramount was passage of Webb’s Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act in 2009 which extended the American Battlefield Protection Program through 2014.
Upon passage, the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission will consist of 25 members drawn from business, academia, and government … dovetailing with state and local governments, as well as historic, civic, and lineage organizations, to organize and aid various commemorations.
Among the coalition of organizations strongly supporting the Commission:
American Association of Museums, American Association for State and Local History, Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Civil War Trust, Federation of State Humanities Councils, History Channel, National Coalition for History, National Council on Public History, National Council for the Social Studies, National History Day, Society for Military History, and the Southern Historical Association.
Your Washington Civil War Heritage Examiner strongly urges Congress to pass the Act, closing with a bit of wisdom from Cicero:
"To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."
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And now answers from our last article (www.examiner.com/civil-war-heritage-in-washington-dc/likin-those-dixie-f...) on Dixie.
1. Name another Ronald Reagan film besides Brother Rat (1938) that featured Dixie: The Girl from Jones Beach (1949), with Eddie Bracken and Virginia Mayo.
2. Name a 13 Oscar nominated film (winner of three!) made in just the last three years that played Dixie.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.
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