Dr. Karen Cox's Visit

History is written by the victors, but is history also written by Hollywood?  The Civil war was a battle between the Union forces of the North and the Confederate army of the South for the future of the United States.  Dr. Karen Cox made a case that the knowledge and feelings many have towards the South was sold to us first by movies, then by television.

Dr. Cox talked about how the South is romanticized by the North, how men are respectful and women are soft and gentile.  This is in direct contrast to the North where the men are brutes and women loose.  She mentioned shows like the Andy Griffin show and movies like Gone with the Wind. 

I understand that Hollywood embellishes to create drama and suspense but I find it difficult to believe that these are ideas that spring out of the talking heads in Hollywood.  I tend to believe the South was not like the movies for the majority of the people and that it more closely resembled “Roots” than “North and South”.  I do not believe that the Slaves were happy; they were treated harshly and believe that they were always trying to escape. 

I did not feel any connection with Dr. Cox’s talk and realized that it may be my own images of the South.  To be completely fair, I am a strong believer of right and wrong and love America very much.  My first interaction with the history of the south was watching the mini-series “Roots” and it may be still influencing my views now.  I also did not like the Civil War because it was about Americans fighting other Americans.  I want this country to be strong and felt this war affected America’s development to be the greatest country in the world.