Situated within the current conversation about monuments, the naming of buildings and schools, and the flying of confederate symbols and flags over state capitals, Civil War (Or, Who Do We Think We Are), examines how the historical narrative regarding the Civil War in the United States is constructed, by whom, and how this period of American history is taught in the K12 system and at the college level. To accomplish this considerable task, Rachel Boynton (writer & director) traverses the country visiting K12 schools and universities to examine how the Civil War is taught.
There is a clear difference in how this period of history is taught in the North highlighted by classroom scenes from Boston which differs from schools in the South including Mississippi. In addition, the school population also dictates how this history is taught in predominantly White and African-American schools.
Even the very basic question, such as what to call this period of history—the war between the states, northern aggression, or civil war—is grappled with. To provide historical context to this conversation, interspersed throughout the film are segments of David W. Blight, Ph.D., as he lectures at Yale University regarding this period of history.
The value of this documentary film in the classroom is to spark conversation about who defines the historical narrative for a country. What comes to mind is the quote often attributed to Winston Churchill that history is written by the victors. In responding to this statement, Civil War would argue that this is a simplistic view of history given that after the Civil War there was a desire by the North to maintain the Union by overlooking the installation of historical monuments, parades, and holidays to honor confederate soldiers and generals in the South.
Ultimately, a student interviewed as part of this film summed up their desire to be taught “the real history” of the Civil War and Reconstruction periods specifically and American history in general. As the film is divided into different chapters, screening this title in the classroom is easy regardless of the length of the class.
This outstanding film is highly recommended for any academic and public library media collection supporting the student of American history, history, and social studies education, and race relations in the United States but should find a home in any film collection. While providing a platform for competing viewpoints, Boynton does challenge some perspectives through the use of follow-up questions from behind the camera.
As this film comes with public performance rights, it offers educational institutions an opportunity to extend the screening of this film to reach a wider audience to engage in this crucial conversation at a time when throughout the United States there is a focus on what is being taught in schools. Highly Recommended. Outstanding.
What are some examples of ways this film can be used in a Public Performance setting?
With the increased attention to what is being taught in classrooms throughout the country and the continued conversation about monuments and historical memory, the public performance rights that come with the purchase of this film allow for public events on college campuses to engage the community in this conversation. This can be bringing classes in for a screening and discussion or opening an event to the wider community.
What type of classroom would this documentary resource be suitable for?
This is an essential film for any education course or history classroom as the discussion about how history is taught will continue to be an important topic in American discourse.
What subjects or college majors would benefit from the content covered in this film?
This film easily supports education and history majors but can also benefit those in public policy, museum studies, and sociology courses related to race.