Historic photo of Tredegar Ironworks, home to the American Civil War Center (Photo: Unknown)

Hope in the Cities partnered with the American Civil War Center (ACWC) at Historic Tredegar Ironworks and Hermitage High School (Richmond, Va.) to facilitate dialogue among students and support their exploration of how the Civil War and its effects continue to influence their lives.

Hope in the Cities partnered recently with the American Civil War Center (ACWC) and Hermitage High School (Richmond, Va.) in a pilot program for students to learn about the Civil War and explore through dialogue how its effects continue to influence social, religious and political activities today.

The program began with a visit to the exhibit at ACWC, which presents, for the first time in the United States, the story of the Civil War from three perspectives: the Union, the Confederate and African American. The ACWC is located at the historic landmark Tredegar ironworks, which cast munitions for the Confederate Army and, later, for U.S. forces through the Korean War.

The diverse group of students then participated in two discussions led by the Hope in the Cities team. Race relations and the experiences of the minority emerged as major themes in the conversation.

In journal entries written following the discussions, students offered these reflections:

The dialogue we had at the museum was unlike any we have had before. I honestly do not consider the impact the Civil War has had on my life on a daily basis, and to see that the effects are so numerous was enlightening. The discussion further emphasized to me that the United States has done some work to achieve racial equality, but there is still much to be done. I felt the personal comments about the issue my classmates offered were some of the highlights of the trip. For example, the stereotypes based on where you live are something I hear every day. It is based on race and it can be traced back to prejudices arising before the Civil War.

I was challenged and astounded by what I did not know. It was not facts this time, but ways of thinking – I had not considered the fact that the Confederacy saw the Union as invaders. It had not occurred to me that someone else in my class may know someone in prison. I had not even imagined that someone in the Center [for the Humanities, at Hermitage High School] had parents that did not go to college, and I certainly did not think I had drawn so many generalized conclusions about my classmates that could be so easily broken down.

I think that relating the present stereotypes in our society to the Civil War was an interesting take on the roots of discrimination. I do not think that I had realized that the Civil War had left such a lasting impression on the way that we think today. My favorite part about the museum was the way that everything was told from three perspectives. This goes to support the fact that truth is relative and that everyone can experience a different truth.

The activity led me to realize that a lot of people who I thought were completely different from me actually have a lot of the same views as I do. A particular question regarding whether anyone has been racially discriminated against was asked and I was very shocked that almost the whole group was on that side. It made me realize that African Americans are not the only targets for racism and that everyone has had to go through things.

What I was able to gather from the honest talk was that there are still a lot of unresolved issues today that we don’t acknowledge. It’s easier for people to ignore anything that might be unsettling to them by sweeping it under the rug and pretending it isn’t there, but in order to make the necessary changes to better our country we need to stop doing this and confront the difficult topics.

Mark Howell, the director of education at ACWC, said Center organizers had entered the new project with a certain amount of trepidation. But “we were so encouraged by how the students responded to the program that we intend to expand the opportunity,” he said.