War memorials

 The Civil War Monument Movement in Texas book coverTexas is home to many large-scale Civil War monuments — most dedicated to the Confederacy, but three with a Unionist interpretation of the war. Today, the monuments can be thought of as public art with changing messages, says Kelly McMichael (’01 Ph.D.) in her new book Sacred Memories: The Civil War Monument Movement in Texas (Texas State Historical Association).

“Monuments often tell us as much about those who have erected them as those whom they are about,” she says. “They reflect the values and political agendas projected by the people who were in power, and their message can change over time.”

McMichael, associate director of UNT’s Center for Learning Enhancement, Assessment and Redesign, began researching Civil War memorials as a doctoral student in the Department of History.

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