As my research continues into Baker County and Olustee, I have reserved time to begin drafting other necessary elements for the internship. This includes compiling sources for my final historiography paper and reevaluating the topic itself. Additionally, with the upcoming 4th of July celebrations I realized it would be wise to stay alert for any celebrations in counties more closely associated with Olustee like Baker and Columbia County.
Most of this week saw a continuation of early work. Due to the volume of people I intend to reach out to through my Google Forms, I have taken to drafting multiple emails first. I believe this will cut time as I can schedule them to send around the same time. This will be faster than doing it one by one throughout a set period on certain days. I have also expanded my list of recipients. In doing further research on the Olustee battlefield I discovered several articles written about the state park and controversy over the Confederate monument. The authors' contact information is written in some of these articles. Therefore, I thought it would be apt to get their view on Olustee. I wonder if their knowledge derived from personal experience or only through research. If it were through personal experience this would give more perspective into the local lore that surrounds Olustee. On the other hand, if their knowledge was solely through research they may be able to provide unique sources for the project.
During this week I also focused on the final historiography essay that will be due at the end of summer. I wanted to begin drafting certain ideas or at least gathering sources. So far, a topic discussed with Dr. Gannon has been Civil War memory but from the perspective of the North. I believe this would be an interesting take since a lot of Civil War memory is dominated by certain Southern theories or the death of the ideal "genteel South." I am curious to learn more about how the North viewed the Civil War and how it is memorialized in more modern times. In the South we see reenactments, certain theories, and a clinging to a certain way of life. I would be interested in seeing if this also existed in the North. Therefore, I have tried to begin organizing my sources. I have skimmed a few articles on JSTOR and plan on compiling a more organized list. This will help build a foundation for the later paper.
Then, with the 4th of July approaching I believe I may see an increase in articles or mentions of patriotic events. I am hoping that within these notices there will be references to Olustee and the Union soldiers. I anticipate possibly seeing local Baker County events. I believe keeping an eye out for local festivities will provide a good avenue for more information. At the very least the holiday celebrations may reveal more about the Baker County community's view on national identity and other patriotic ideals. Lastly, I am excited for the upcoming week as VHP is holding a story day on July 7th. This will be a great opportunity to practice my skills with conducting oral histories. More importantly, I will engage with veterans and be able to hear their poignant stories. I am eager to interact with them and aid in documenting their powerful experiences.
Comments