Description
The Civil War Centennial Publications Collection (1914-1987, bulk 1961-1964) consists of maps, pamphlets and publications
related to the American Civil War Centennial. In 1957, an act of Congress created the United States Civil War Centennial Commission
and a national public commemoration of the Civil War. The Commission was asked to work with each of the forty-eight U.S. states
to create state-level commissions to commemorate the war, and to coordinate Centennial activities. Commemoration activities
began in 1957, four years prior to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Sumter, and ended in 1965 with the 100th anniversary
of the surrender at Appomattox. This collection documents the state commissions for Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
This collection is arranged into a single series and organized by format and by state: Series I: Civil War Centennial Publications,
1914-1987 (Bulk 1961-1964).
Background
The causes for the American Civil War were due to a variety of issues including the election of Republican President Abraham
Lincoln, the political tension surrounding slavery, and state versus federal rights. The Republican Party was determined to
prevent any spread of slavery and many Southern leaders had threatened secession if the Republican candidate, Lincoln won
the election in 1860. After Lincoln's victory, many Southern whites felt that secession had become their only option. The
Southerners saw themselves as fighting to preserve slavery. The Northerners, in contrast, saw themselves as preserving the
Union and not abolishing slavery. The American Civil War was fought between the Union (the Northern States) and the Confederate
(the Southern States), from 1861-1864.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the SJSU Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not
intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions
also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.