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WHAT IS THE "AUTHENTIC CAMPAIGNER"?
The Authentic Campaigner (aka: “The AC”, at www.authentic-campaigner.com) is a website founded in 1999 for the purpose of engaging the Civil War living history community in a higher level of historical accuracy by sharing research and applying it to living history presentations. AC membership includes hobbyists from all walks of life, as well as historians, museum professionals, and archivists. The interests of the AC community encompasses all aspects of civilian and military life of the mid-Nineteenth Century, from clothing, food, farming, music, arts and trades, to military life and material culture.
Currently owned by Eric Tipton of Ohio, the AC has taken a leadership position on preservation issues, raising money for the battlefield preservation and museums. Members raise funds for preservation and volunteer for local, state, and national parks and historic sites.
THE POSITION OF THE AUTHENTIC CAMPAIGNER ON MONUMENT PRESERVATION:
It is the position of The Authentic-Campaigner that certain relics of our shared cultural history must be preserved and maintained for future generations. These include:
- Monuments
- Markers
- Museums
WHY THESE ITEMS SHOULD BE PRESERVED:
- They provide a cultural link to history by showing what our predecessors saw fit to memorialize.
- They are historic in their own right, many being more than a century old.
- They depict individuals whose achievements our predecessors believed should inspire us to strive to achieve great things.
- They depict great events and accomplishments achieved by our fellow citizens.
- They serve as a memorial to individuals who sacrificed their lives, well-being, safety, and/or liberty in order to serve a higher cause as a citizen.
- They serve as an artistic element in the cities and towns where they are placed.
- They spark discussion and deeper consideration of historic events and people.
- In the case of museums: They preserve the tangible relics of shared history, providing a means to interpret history, as well as deepen the public understanding of it.
- For all of the above reasons, the removal of monuments and markers from public spaces, or the closing of a museum and dispersal of its collection, establishes a dangerous precedent that puts ALL monuments, markers, and museums at-risk!
WHAT WE CAN DO:
Our goal is to raise awareness about the importance of Civil War Monuments, Markers & Museums by the use of this forum and social media. The hashtag #PreserveHistory has been created for this campaign. Please spread it on Twitter and help us get the word out about the latest developments on this issue by sharing our posts as we move forward.
Through awareness, we hope to inspire our membership and anyone interested in the history of the Civil War to write letters, make phone calls and utilize pressure through social media to prohibit the removal and/or damage of important monuments, and historical markers that tell the story of the Civil War.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
“A mighty concussion had shaken society to its foundation, and the moral and intellectual man had not yet reasserted himself in his native equanimity and clearsightedness. Men should, we again remind the reader, be judged by the standard of their own age alone; as there is no man but in a great degree takes his colouring of conduct from the habits of his contemporaries and immediate predecessors. … The progress of truth and improvement is imperceptible in short periods; so that the habits of thought and action, the religious belief, the political predilections and aversions …differs but a shade here and there from past generations…
A great moral lesson should be the inference from these remarks – charity towards the holder of opinions different from our own, and a hesitation to condemn too harshly the actions and usages of other times and circumstances.”
The Republic of Letters; The Life of Archbishop Cranmer, Sir J. Mackintosh, 1835
A great moral lesson should be the inference from these remarks – charity towards the holder of opinions different from our own, and a hesitation to condemn too harshly the actions and usages of other times and circumstances.”
The Republic of Letters; The Life of Archbishop Cranmer, Sir J. Mackintosh, 1835
Perspective... From Charles Adams - Culpepper Star Exponent
WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. SPREAD THE WORD: #PreserveHistory
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