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Hope & Glory: Essays on the Legacy of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts Regiment
The monument by Augustus Saint-Gaudens to Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, located on Boston Common, stands at a symbolic crossroads of American history. A reminder of the nation's ongoing struggle over race, it captures the Civil War's higher purpose -- the end of slavery -- and memorializes those black soldiers and white officers who made common cause in the service of freedom. The monument and the saga of the 54 th Massachusetts remain powerful touchstones, inspiring enduring meditations such as Robert Lowell's poem "For the Union Dead" and the popular film Glory. This volume brings together the best scholarship on the history of the 54th, the formation of collective memory and identity, and the ways Americans have responded to the story of the regiment and the Saint-Gaudens monument. Contributors use the historical record and popular remembrance of the 54 th as a lens for examining race and community in the United States. The essays range in time from the mid-nineteenth century to the present and encompass history, literature, art, music, and popular culture. In addition to the editors and Colin Powell, who writes about the memory and example of the 54th in his own career, contributors include Stephen Belyea, David W. Blight, Thomas Cripps, Kathryn Greenthal, James Oliver Horton, Edwin S. Redkey, Marilyn Richardson, Kirk Savage, James Smethurst, Cathy Stanton, Helen Vendler, Denise Von Glahn, and Joan Waugh.
- GenresHistory
336 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2000
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June 23, 2017
I really don't understand all the mediocre reviews here. This book is a brilliant collection of essays focusing on the famous 54th Massachusetts Regiment by using the Shaw Memorial as a centre piece. This collection not only discusses the construction, legacy and foundation of the Memorial but also goes into detail about how the concepts of manhood and blackness tied together in the Civil War era. James Oliver Horton reveals that abolitionists were not little angels and in fact had their own stereotypes and standards concerning the black race. While many see the Union as the pinnacle of freedom, Donald Yacovone discusses in great detail the lengths that black regiments had to go through in order to receive equal pay and be treated in the same light as their white comrades. As well as that there is also a section by Edwin S. Redkey describing men of all backgrounds in the regiment, Northern and Southern, freeman and slave, and how they fared during the war years.
Joan Waugh's essay discussing Robert Gould Shaw and his family challenges the bias of revisionist historians and puts them in the concept of their time. So far in my view it is the best source for understanding the motivations and dilemmas of Colonel Shaw and gives a pretty solid explanation for why he ultimately accepted the 54th's Colonelcy. I also like how Waugh cuts Sarah and Frank Shaw some slack, especially Sarah who is often seen by historians as being overbearing and controlling of her son when in reality she was merely playing the role that mothers across the North and South generally played at the time. It's just a shame that this essay is so short, here's hoping the Waugh will consider writing a balanced, up to date book on Robert Gould Shaw which will further challenge the revisionist perspective as well as the romanticism which surrounded the 54th's story. It will be a nice change over sensationalist stories about the 'reluctant hero' or the 'abolitionist martyr'.
Martin H. Blatt's review and dissection of Edward Zwick's Glory is also worth a read. He looks at the film critically from both a history standpoint and a film one. He considers the film's strong and weak points but probably most importantly it's impact. Before the film he states that reenactment was a very white hobby and nobody tended to think about the possibility that blacks fought and died alongside whites. Whatever you think about Glory there can be no denying that the film raised important questions about the impact of black lives at the time and sparked a new interest about black contribution to the military then and now. He also reveals that much was cut from the film largely thanks to historian Peter Burchard whose book 'One Gallant Rush' the main inspiration for the film generated large sales shortly after release. Of course revisionist historians such as Russell Duncan would also take the opportunity in the midst of the 'Glory hype' to put their theories onto paper.
While I wouldn't exactly recommend this book to amateurs on the subject I think it is great for those looking for a deeper study on the 54th from multiple perspectives. This book also stands out because while a lot of books on the regiment tend to focus on Colonel Shaw and always end at Fort Wagner, Hope and Glory studies the regiment and it's history as a whole as well as it's impact long after the guns of the Civil War had ceased. Anyone looking for a more professional study on black contribution to the war certainly may want to to consider adding this to their collection.
Joan Waugh's essay discussing Robert Gould Shaw and his family challenges the bias of revisionist historians and puts them in the concept of their time. So far in my view it is the best source for understanding the motivations and dilemmas of Colonel Shaw and gives a pretty solid explanation for why he ultimately accepted the 54th's Colonelcy. I also like how Waugh cuts Sarah and Frank Shaw some slack, especially Sarah who is often seen by historians as being overbearing and controlling of her son when in reality she was merely playing the role that mothers across the North and South generally played at the time. It's just a shame that this essay is so short, here's hoping the Waugh will consider writing a balanced, up to date book on Robert Gould Shaw which will further challenge the revisionist perspective as well as the romanticism which surrounded the 54th's story. It will be a nice change over sensationalist stories about the 'reluctant hero' or the 'abolitionist martyr'.
Martin H. Blatt's review and dissection of Edward Zwick's Glory is also worth a read. He looks at the film critically from both a history standpoint and a film one. He considers the film's strong and weak points but probably most importantly it's impact. Before the film he states that reenactment was a very white hobby and nobody tended to think about the possibility that blacks fought and died alongside whites. Whatever you think about Glory there can be no denying that the film raised important questions about the impact of black lives at the time and sparked a new interest about black contribution to the military then and now. He also reveals that much was cut from the film largely thanks to historian Peter Burchard whose book 'One Gallant Rush' the main inspiration for the film generated large sales shortly after release. Of course revisionist historians such as Russell Duncan would also take the opportunity in the midst of the 'Glory hype' to put their theories onto paper.
While I wouldn't exactly recommend this book to amateurs on the subject I think it is great for those looking for a deeper study on the 54th from multiple perspectives. This book also stands out because while a lot of books on the regiment tend to focus on Colonel Shaw and always end at Fort Wagner, Hope and Glory studies the regiment and it's history as a whole as well as it's impact long after the guns of the Civil War had ceased. Anyone looking for a more professional study on black contribution to the war certainly may want to to consider adding this to their collection.
Displaying 1 of 1 review