Public historians working at museums and historic sites focused on the Civil War era are tasked with interpreting a period of history that remains deeply controversial. Many visitors have strong connections to historic sites such as battlefields and artifacts as well as harbor strong convictions about the cause of the war, its consequences and the importance of slavery. Interpreting the Civil War at Museums and Historic Sites surveys how museums and historic sites approached these challenges and others during the Civil War sesquicentennial (2011-2015). In doing so, this book offers museums and history professionals strategies to help shape conversations with local communities, develop exhibits and train interpreters. With the ongoing controversy surrounding the display of the Confederate battle flag and monuments, there has never been a more opportune moment to look critically at how the Civil War has been interpreted and why it continues to matter to so many Americans. -- Provided by publisher.

Ch. 1 Among the ruins : creating and interpreting the American Civil War in Richmond / Christy S. Coleman -- Ch. 2. Billy Yank, not Johnny Reb : focusing Civil War exhibits on the Union in Virginia / Mark Benbow -- Ch. 3. A civil war museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin? / Daniel Joyce, Douglas Dammann, Jennifer Edginton -- Ch. 4. Civil war public history for the next generation / James Percoco -- Ch. 5. New wine in old bottles : using historical markers to reshape public memory of the Civil War / W. Todd Groce -- Ch. 6. From tokenism to true partnership : the National Park Services' shifting interpretation at the Civil War's sesquicentennial / John M. Rudy -- Ch. 7. Commemoration, conflict, and constraints : the saga of the Confederate flag at the South Carolina State House / W. Eric Emerson -- Ch. 8. Getting to the heart : the intersections of Confederate iconography, race relations, and public history in America / Dina Bailey and Nicole Moore.