Paul and Brent are both right. Any fresh treatment of a "new" topic
inevitably forces reconsideration of related matters....

On Fri, Dec 1, 2023, 9:09 AM Jordan, Ervin L (elj7t) <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> While not agreeing entirely with Dr. Finkelman's comments, he is correct
> that "sometimes people write about something that no one has written about
> or that no one has written about in so long that there is no historiography
> to revise." My book Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in Civil War
> Virginia (1995) is perhaps an example in this context. Its documented
> discussion of Afro-Confederates eventually (and due to the rise of social
> media, the Internet, etc.) contributed in a small way to the current toxic
> debate on race, slavery, the removal of Confederate statues, Black Lives
> Matters, the 1619 Project, etc.
>
>
>
> Historians can't anticipate everything as the result of their writings,
> and I've found myself treated as "a god" by Confederate reenactors and "a
> crazy Uncle Tom" by liberals and leftists. Talk about being the man in the
> middle!
>
>
> Prof. Ervin L. Jordan Jr. (Associate Professor)
> Research Archivist, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
> University of Virginia
> Affiliated faculty, John L. Nau III Center for Civil War History,
>       University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
> “Racism is a scholarly pursuit, it’s taught, it’s institutionalized.” Toni
> Morrison (1931-2019), 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature recipient
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history <
> [log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Paul Finkelman
> Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2023 6:42 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Revisionist History
>
>
>
> I must disagree with my very long time friend Brent.  Sometimes people
> write about something that no one has written about or that no one has
> written about in so long that there is no historiography to revise.  A case
> in point is a Constitutional History of Virginia, written by none other
> than Brent Tarter.  It is not "revisionist" -- it is path breaking because
> no one has written such a book in so long that there is no history to
> revise.
>
>  Constitutional History of Virginia
>
>
>
> |
>
> |
>
> |
>
> |  |  |
>
>
>
> |
>
>
>
> |
>
> |
>
> |  |
>
> Constitutional History of Virginia
>
>
>
> This is the only modern comprehensive constitutional history of any state,
> and as a history of Virgina, it is on...
>
> |
>
>
>
> |
>
>
>
> |
>
>
>
>
>
> There are many other books like this.   My own first book, An Imperfect
> Union:  Slavery, Federalism and Comity (1981, reprinted 2001 by Lawbook
> Exchange) was a study of the many legal cases surrounding slaves who were
> brought to free states, and slaves who lived free states and then returned
> to slave states.  No one had ever written on this subject, so there was
> nothing to revise.  There are a huge number of topics like these.  A good
> project where no one has written.
>
> ------------------
>
> PaulFinkelman
>
> 48 Thorndale Road
>
> Slingerlands,NY  12159
>
> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>
>
>
> m)518-605-0296
>
>
>
>     On Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 01:21:34 PM EST, Joyce Hann <
> [log in to unmask]<mailto:
> [log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
>
>
>  Thanks!
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
>
> > On Nov 30, 2023, at 10:43 AM, Tarter, Brent (LVA) <
> [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> wrote:
>
> >
>
> > In several very real senses, all historical works are revisionist;
> otherwise, they's just repetitions of old interpretations.
>
> >
>
> > Every time that we discover new information we have to re-evaluate what
> we thought that we knew about an event in the past. And, as the
> Uncommonwealth blog indicates, re-evaluating old evidence often leads to
> changed understandings about the past.
>
> >
>
> > We had discussions of this in 2020 when Confederate monuments were under
> maximum criticism and being taken down. Neither re-interpreting nor
> revising is erasing or changing history. History is what happened. We can't
> and don't change that; but we do often-times revise how we think about the
> past and what historical events may mean.
>
> >
>
> > Back at the centennial anniversary of the American Civil War, the
> prevailing interpretation stressed states' rights, battlefield bravery, and
> death, which almost entirely ignored the most important consequences of the
> Civil War, which were preservation of representative democracy and of the
> free labor economy and the abolition of slavery; but by the time of the
> 150th anniversary, we acknowledged those critically important ingredients
> and incorporated them into our historical narratives and understandings.
>
> >
>
> > People shouldn't be afraid to think for themselves and should be willing
> to change their minds. That is what people do who continue their educations
> beyond the elementary level. I know. I've been reading about and studying
> Virginia's history for more than 50 years and have changed my mind on many
> things as a result of my discoveries and the scholarship of other people
> who have found new information or re-evaluated old information.
>
> >
>
> > Brent Tarter
>
> >
>
> > ______________________________________
>
> > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions
> at
>
> > https://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
> >
>
> > This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum
> and Library Services (IMLS).
>
>
>
> ______________________________________
>
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
>
> https://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
>
>
> This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum
> and Library Services (IMLS).
>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________
>
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
>
> https://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
>
>
> This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum
> and Library Services (IMLS).
>
> ______________________________________
> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
> https://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html
>
> This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum
> and Library Services (IMLS).
>

______________________________________
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at
https://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html

This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).