The site of North America's greatest battle is a national icon, a byword for the Civil War, and an American clich???. Described as "the most American place in America," Gettysburg is defended against commercial desecration like no other historic site. Yet even as schoolchildren learn to revere the place where Lincoln delivered his most famous speech, Gettysburg's image generates millions of dollars every year from touring, souvenirs, reenactments, films, games, collecting, and the Internet. Examining Gettysburg's place in ...
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The site of North America's greatest battle is a national icon, a byword for the Civil War, and an American clich???. Described as "the most American place in America," Gettysburg is defended against commercial desecration like no other historic site. Yet even as schoolchildren learn to revere the place where Lincoln delivered his most famous speech, Gettysburg's image generates millions of dollars every year from touring, souvenirs, reenactments, films, games, collecting, and the Internet. Examining Gettysburg's place in American culture, this book finds that the selling of Gettysburg is older than the shrine itself. Gettysburg entered the market not with recent interest in the Civil War nor even with twentieth-century tourism but immediately after the battle. Founded by a modern industrial society with the capacity to deliver uniform images to millions, Gettysburg, from the very beginning, reflected the nation's marketing trends as much as its patriotism. Gettysburg's pilgrims--be they veterans, families on vacation, or Civil War reenactors--have always been modern consumers escaping from the world of work and responsibility even as they commemorate. And it is precisely this commodification of sacred ground, this tension between commerce and commemoration, that animates Gettysburg's popularity. Gettysburg continues to be a current rather than a past event, a site that reveals more about ourselves as Americans than the battle it remembers. Gettysburg is, as it has been since its famous battle, both a cash cow and a revered symbol of our most deeply held values.
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Almost immediately after the Battle of Gettysburg, (July 1 -- July 3, 1863), Americans recognized that a pivotal event in the Nation's history had occurred. The tactics and strategies used by the Armies, the significance of the Battle to the result of the Civil War and to the nature and purpose of our country continue to be debated vigorously.
Literally at the moment the armies left Gettysburg with the dead and wounded still on the field, tourists began to visit the battlefield, some to gape from curiosity and some to ponder the battle and its significance.
Jim Weeks's "Gettysburg: Memory, Market and an American Shrine" (2003) tells the story of tourism at Gettysburg and of its changes in character over the years as the United States changed. He sees a basic tension in Gettysburg visitors and in the manner in which Gettysburg is presented to its visitors. On the one hand, Gettysburg is a shrine, hallowed ground, commemorating an important event in our history. It is thus a place for contemplation and reflection about the American experience. On the other hand, Gettysburg is a tourist destination and a place of pleasure and commercialism Visitors come seeking souvenirs, good food, hotels, and entertainment. Those purveying the town and its attractions to the visitors are interested in earning a living and in commercial success.
Weeks does a good job tracing the relationship between these goals as he examines the history of tourist visits to Gettysburg. He shows how after the battle Gettysburg appealed to "genteel tourists" who had the leisure and means to travel. With the resurgence of veterans groups, the battlefield became bedecked with monuments which required leisure to read and to comtemplate. Shortly after the monmuments were constructed, more Americans began to share in the benefits of prosperity. They sought entertainment at Gettysburg and mass attractions with the coming of the railroads. In the mid-20th century, American culture changed again with the onset of the automobile and the onset of family touring with children. The new century, Weeks argues, sees a more framgmented United States, with Gettysburg appealing primarily to men, to reenactors of Battles and to Civil War hobbyists and "buffs".
Weeks' book is well-documented. He offers the reader a good factual overview of the history of Gettysburg tourism and relates it well, on the whole, to trends in American society. His book is also thoughtful and his points worth considering even when the reader may disagree with him.
A major problem I found with this book was in what I found to be its patronizing voice. Weeks is surely right to emphasize how changes in society have affected the way Americans view Gettysburg and what those who visit the battlefield expect from their trip. However, as he passes through the various kinds of tourism over the years at Gettysburg, Weeks adopts an overly-mocking tone. For every type of tourist and era of tourism, Weeks is critical. He is adept at pointing out the shorcomings of individual visions, but not emphatic enough in understanding what it is that brought people to Gettysburg over the years and why this was valuable, with our without the commercialism and the foibles of each individual age. He plays different visions of Gettysburg off one against the other and is particularly critical of modern tourism and what he sees as the cult of "heritage" and "authenticity". Some sense of charity and symphathy with the diverse goals people have had in visiting Gettysburg -- the pleasurable and the uplifting -- would have been welcome.
I found this book a good factual history. I found the book's tone and its way of analyzing and presenting the facts less than convincing.
