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Becoming Alabama
Creek War • Civil War • Civil Rights |
A Time Rich in Historical Remembrances
THREE GREAT CONFLICTS SHAPED ALABAMA AS WE KNOW IT.
NOW, AS THEIR MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES LOOM,
WE CELEBRATE OUR “BECOMING.”
By EDWIN C. BRIDGES
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For the next five years, Alabamians will pass through a remarkable period of commemorations. Two hundred years ago, settlers were moving in on the Indian-occupied territory that is now Alabama, setting the stage for the Creek War (1813–1814). A hundred and fifty years ago, white Alabamians stewed over the possible election of a Republican president who they feared would be fundamentally hostile to their interests. The election of Abraham Lincoln and the South’s secession would lead to the Civil War (1861–1865). And fifty years ago, organized protests by black Alabamians against racial discrimination spread across the state. From 1960 to 1965, Alabama was a major battleground in this national conflict. As Alabamians celebrate anniversaries in these great struggles, citizens and visitors will enjoy new opportunities to tour sites, see artifacts, hear stories, and reflect on how the past has shaped who we are today as Alabamians and Americans.
An interesting aspect of these commemorations is the way key anniversaries will coincide in almost dizzying juxtaposition. Consider, for example, some of the events we will remember in the summer of 2013:
• June 11 will mark fifty years since George Wallace’s “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door.”
• July will bring the 150th anniversaries of Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and the death of William Lowndes Yancey, the architect of secession.
• August will be the bicentennial of the Red Stick Creeks’ attack on Fort Mims, one of the most devastating Indian attacks in American history.
• And on September 15, we will remember the deaths, fifty years earlier, of four young women killed in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
These are a few of the highlights from only a four month interval. A list of all the significant anniversaries would run on for pages. To prepare for the commemorations, a number of historical and cultural organizations from across Alabama have joined together to coordinate their efforts. But before reviewing some of their plans, it would be useful to consider more closely the larger importance of the stories we will be remembering.
These three conflicts —the Creek War, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement—are dramatic chapters in American history, but they were formative for Alabama. Their places, artifacts, and stories are still part of our lives.
Because these events were so important for Alabama, historical and cultural organizations across the state are joining together to plan for the commemorations. Combining their efforts will help these organizations make the best use of limited resources and will also create new opportunities for telling the broader story of Alabama. While each anniversary is important in its own right, all can be far richer when seen as part of the larger story of how we became who we are today.
Another benefit of a coordinated effort is that it emphasizes the common past in which all Alabamians have a stake. All citizens of Alabama now share in traditions and institutions that were formed in these earlier struggles. Reflecting this larger, state-history focus, the participating organizations are calling this effort Becoming Alabama.
In the Becoming Alabama commemorations, each organization will seek to highlight its own programs and resources while at the same time pointing to the broader story of which they are a part. The participants will also look for ways to assist each other in their programs, to develop joint efforts at promotion, and to take time occasionally for activities that show how the individual pieces fit together as part of our state and national history.
The coming years will be a time rich with historical remembrances. The participants in Becoming Alabama hope these commemorations will open interesting new paths for exploring Alabama’s incredible past. We also hope this time of reflection on the past will help Alabamians today as they chart their course for the road ahead.
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