Turning Point: Legacies of the Civil War

Landers, Gehweiler, Kekel, Dennard, Prepared for Atlanta History Center 28 Sept.2022
Adair, Magginis, Rogers, Falola,
Carmody, Bell

Assessment: In recent years the legacy of the Civil War has become a hotly debated subject of public
discourse. New reflections on how communities, institutions, and individuals memorialize this conflict
have come about as a result of these recent events. As the premier history institution of our city, Atlanta
History Center’s own exhibit on the Civil War needs to reimagine the way it engages with this subject
matter in order to foster these reflections within its audiences.
Concept: Our team proposes a partial refresh of Turning Point focused on the final three gallery spaces
of the exhibit. This space already reflects on the legacy of the Civil War, but our redesign will allow it to
engage the public more actively by focusing on three themes. The first, Reconstruction, will focus on
how the United States and the former Confederate states chose to make amends and focus on healing
rather than justice for formerly enslaved
individuals during federal occupation of the
South. Second, we will review
Memorialization and Commemoration as
it happened throughout the 20th century,
specifically in the 1920’s. This section will
examine the ways in which the legacy of the
Civil War became a tool of white supremacy
in the South. Finally, we will share the
Modern Legacy of the conflict to see how
contemporary political issues are informed
by our understanding of the Civil War. This space will allow visitors to see the lasting effects of the Civil
War on our society.
Strategic Goals and Objectives:
- Present new, relevant scholarship on the legacy of the Civil War, especially the Reconstruction
era
- Do so in an engaging and personally relatable way
- Bust myths about the causes and effects of the Civil War
- Highlight the Relevance of Civil War legacy today
- Core to Social, Racial, Political, and Economic topics
- Part of an ongoing national debate related to institutional racism
- Bring forth the debates happening with the Civil War memorial statues
- Leave people with questions about their own thoughts related to the Civil War
- Reimagine exhibition materials to be active
- Updated text panels and object labels to actively engage reader
- Newly selected objects will be relevant both to visitors and to the topic
- Integrated education plan will make the space compatible with institutional education
goals.
- Interactives throughout will both engage guests and provide feedback for the museum