Photography had been around more than 20 years before the Civil War began. When pictures were taken, they showed colonels, bodies that were on the battlefield, even soldiers that were around the camp tent. A few photographers that will be discussed are Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, George Barnard and Timothy O’Sullivan. I will talk about how their photography affected the social and political arena as well as how photography in contemporary society provides the public with an up-close testimony to recent wars and global strife.
Mathew Brady stated, “My greatest aim has been to advance the art of photography and to make it what I think I have, a great and truthful medium of history.” (Keya Morgan, 2004). Mathew Brady was a 19th century
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It affects society by us knowing what is going on. If we didn’t know what wars and/or global strife there were, we would not have the knowledge that we have now about war nor photography. Photography showed the testimonies of wounded soldiers and citizens. Although there were actual words to be heard, the photographed stated it all. Photography has evolved in so many ways; from black and white photographs, to colored photographs to the way they are …show more content…
Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/alexander-gardner.html>.
"Archives of the University of Notre Dame :: George Barnard Biography." Archives of the University of Notre Dame :: George Barnard Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. <http://archives.nd.edu/research/exhibits/barnard/bbio.html>.
"Civil War Glass Negatives and Related Prints." Group of Officers at Headquarters Army of Potomac, June 1863. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
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Lee, Roger A. "The Civil War: Mathew B. Brady (1823-1896)." The Civil War: Mathew B. Brady (1823-1896). The History Guy, 13 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2014. <http://www.historyguy.com/civilwar/brady_mathew.html>.
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The American Civil War is one of the biggest turning points in American history. It marks a point of major separation in beliefs from the North and the South and yet somehow ends in a major unification that is now called the United States of America. It still to date remains the bloodiest war in American history. The book “This Republic of Suffering, Death and the American Civil War” by Drew Gilpin Faust better explains the change in thought from the American people that developed from the unexpected mass loss of soldiers that devastated the American people. Throughout this review, the reader will better understand the methods and theory of this book, the sources used, the main argument of the book, the major supporting arguments, and what the author did well and what the author didn’t do well.
I felt like the author could clearly show the true contributing factors of the civil war. As an admirer of history, I could use utilize his book for references later on in my academic studies. The book is 127 pages chronicling the events that led to the civil war. Holt gives novices history readers a wonder firsthand look into the world of young America pre-civil war. His book brought out new ways to approach the study of pre-civil war events. The question whether the Civil War was inevitable or could have been derailed was answered in The Fate of Their Country. Holt places the spotlight on the behaviors Politicians and the many congressional compromises that unintendedly involved the actions of the residents of American. These factors at hand placed the Civil war as inevitable. Most of the politician’s views in The Fate of Their Country were egotistical and shortsighted which left gaps in American’s social future. To consider the subject of why, first we need to understand the contributing causes, America’s great expansion project, the Manifest Destiny the driving factor behind the loss of virtue and political discord.
Turner, Thomas R. 101 Things You Didn’t Know about the Civil War. Avon: Adams, 2007.
There are many different ways in which the war was represented to the public, including drawings, newspaper articles, and detailed stereographs. Stereographs such as John Reekie’s “The Burial Party” invoked mixed feelings from all of those who viewed it. It confronts the deaths caused by the Civil War as well as touches upon the controversial issue over what would happen to the slaves once they had been emancipated. This picture represents the Civil War as a trade-off of lives- fallen soldiers gave their lives so that enslaved black men and women could be given back their own, even if that life wasn’t that different from slavery. In his carefully constructed stereograph “The Burial Party,” John Reekie confronts the uncertainty behind the newly
McPherson, James M.; The Atlas of the Civil War. Macmillan: 15 Columbus Circle New York, NY. 1994.
Upon his return to the States, Gardner visited the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, where he would see the photographs of Mathew Brady for the very first time. Mathew Brady, a Civil War era photographer, known for his portrait photos and his long exposure times, captivated the eyes of Alexander Gardner (CWO). So
Shaw, William B., et al. A Photographic History of the Civil War. Six Volumes. New York, New York: The Blue and Grey Press, 1987.
Robertson, James I., Jr. Civil War! America Becomes One Nation. New York, New York; Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1992.
Wilton P. Moore, “Coffee Break on a Civil War Battlefield”, Military Affairs, Volume 23, Issue 3 (Autumn, 1959): 158. Accessed from: http://links.jstor.org/sici?=0026-3931%28195923%2923%3A3%3C158%3ACOACWB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C on 04/22/02.
Heidler, David S. and Jeanne T., Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, And Military History Volume 2 D-I, ABC-CLIO Inc, 2000.
McPHERSON, James M. "Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction." (n.d.): n. pag. Rpt. in Major Problems in American History Series. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 10. Print.
...deration, and finally, the U.S. Constitution. However, a more philosophical analysis can be drawn about the Civil War. In essence, the War challenged the idea of whether self-government and democracy prevail over pandemonium. And in the words of James Buchanan “Our example for more than eighty years would not only be lost, but it would be quoted a conclusive proof that man is unfit for self-government.” The sheer legacy of the United States of America was imperiled and the Union was on a macrocosmic stage, with spectators seeing if the avant-garde idea of a democratic would draw to a close or perpetuate through onerous times. The Civil War was a test, and the tenuous America indeed passed it, knowing that more hurdles have been bound to come. But, there has been hope that success has always been possible and the American Dream has maintained for generations to come.
After thoroughly assessing past readings and additional research on the Civil War between the North and South, it was quite apparent that the war was inevitable. Opposed views on this would have probably argued that slavery was the only reason for the Civil War. Therefore suggesting it could have been avoided if a resolution was reached on the issue of slavery. Although there is accuracy in stating slavery led to the war, it wasn’t the only factor. Along with slavery, political issues with territorial expansion, there were also economic and social differences between North and South. These differences, being more than just one or two, gradually led to a war that was bound to happened one way or another.
Matthew Brady was one of the most famous photographers during this time. He was the “father of photojournalism” (civilwar.org). There are thousands of photographs of camp life taken by Brady. Brady also took portraits of important political figures like Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee. He was born in Warren County, New York, and his parents were Irish immigrants
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.