by Alexis Hill, reporter

 

Every year, Jim Thorpe History Club teams up with Mr. Holub’s Civil War classes to present Civil War Day. Civil war Day is a lot of fun but not many students participate or think it’s lame. This year, I had the opportunity to participate in Civil War Day. I remembered attending Civil War Day and thinking it was the most boring thing on earth, but helping out this year really changed my point of view.

Last year, I joined History Club, but not until after Civil War Day, so I was not able to participate in it. This year, I dressed up in an old civil war dress and had the time of my life. Not only did I get to dress up, but I got to learn about women’s roles in the war and act as a southern girl in the time of the war. There was also  a wagon master reenactor that attended civil war day this year and he taught kids about his job, how he was treated, and even pulled me into his act. When it comes to recreating from a period of time, you don’t have a script. All you have is your knowledge and facts to keep you going. He used me as an example of how women were treated. I would turn around to talk to a male friend of mine and the wagon master would yell back to me, “What do you think you’re doing? Who’s this young man?!” In times like that, women had to get permission to talk to certain men and weren’t really allowed to socialize with men, especially if they weren’t from the same or higher social class as you and your family. Being in that situation and actually being treated that way made me realize just how different things were.

I also got to experience the struggle of women’s fashion at the time. While the dresses are a lot of fun and beautiful, constantly having to pick up my skirt anytime I walked was a hassle. Getting my lunch was even worse, I had to hold a tray in one hand and my skirt with the other. I also ran into the problem of wearing a long sleeved dress in a warm building. Thankfully, it wasn’t too warm out, but I couldn’t imagine how women wore those dresses in the summer, even in a short sleeved dress you are covered in thick material from your neck and down.  

Civil War day was a great and educational experience. I highly recommend people go to it next year with an open mind or even go to help out. Civil war day isn’t just a day about fun and games, it’s about educating high schoolers in a fun, interactive way. I always hated history until I was able to experience it for myself. I love history and Civil War day really changed everything for me. Come and experience it next year, you won’t be disappointed!