(Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal, 2007-01) Egan, Tara Marie
The National Park Service administration of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park exemplifies the conflicts and concerns which characterized
America's post- World War II commemorative landscape. Harpers Ferry's
unique historical significance requires that racial issues be addressed, and
even that race play a central role in its commemoration. It is thus a
particularly illuminating location at which to observe confrontation over the
racial meanings of the Civil War. The challenges encountered at Harpers
Ferry, however, are in many ways representative; they were echoed
throughout the South, and across the nation, as America sought to
establish a new place for the Civil War within national memory. Through
Harpers Ferry's unique story, reflections of a nationwide struggle can be seen.