ACWSC Announces Themes for 2011-2015
3/5/2009
For more information
Mark Christ (501) 324-9880
after hours (501) 664-5490
mark@arkansasheritage.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MARCH 5, 2009
FOR STATEWIDE RELEASE
ARKANSAS CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMISSION ANNOUNCES THEMES FOR EACH YEAR OF COMMEMORATION
LITTLE ROCK—The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission has developed interpretive themes for each year of the observance of the 150th anniversary of the war between 2011 and 2015, ACWSC Chairman Tom Dupree announced today.
“The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission developed the themes to provide guidance for local observations during the commemoration,” Dupree said. “We felt that it might be useful to local governments, historical societies, museums and other organizations as they begin planning local events.”
The themes for each year are:
2011: “Why Commemorate the Civil War?” As we enter the 150th anniversary of a war that changed the social, economic and political nature of Arkansas forever, it is vitally important to reflect on the reasons for war and its impacts. It is even more important to explore the relevance of the events of 1861-1865 to us as a people a century and a half after the close of hostilities.
2012: “A Divided Arkansas” War came to Arkansas in 1862 as Union armies invaded the northwest portion of the state and Confederate leaders authorized formation of bands of guerrilla fighters to oppose them. Families were split as members chose allegiance to the Union or the Confederacy while other Arkansawyers simply tried to stay out of it. It became apparent that every community in the state would be affected by the war.
2013: “Big War, Little War” Thousands of Arkansas soldiers were shipped to fight battles east of the Mississippi River, while thousands of Union soldiers occupied Arkansas. The theme focuses on the anguish of those serving far from home and the hardship faced by those who stayed behind, as well as the choices faced by the state’s African-American population as they decided whether to remain with their owners or escape to Union lines.
2014: “Under Two Governments” The people of Arkansas faced unparalleled hardship during 1864 as food and other supplies dwindled and much of Arkansas existed in a lawless state. Roving bands of armed men killed and stole with impunity as both Union and Confederate governors sought to conduct the business of the state.
2015: “Emancipation and Reconstruction” As the war wound down, the Confederate armies surrendered and soldiers returned to a blighted landscape and Union rule. Slavery officially ended in the state as Arkansas ratified the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on April 14, 1865.
For more information on sesquicentennial plans, visit www.arkansascivilwar150.com or e-mail acwsc@arkansasheritage.org.
The Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission is housed within the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The AHPP is the Department of Arkansas Heritage agency responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving the state’s cultural resources. Other agencies are the Arkansas Arts Council, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Old State House Museum, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Historic Arkansas Museum.
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