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When you're mentioning Charleston in the same breath as NYC, Boston and Philly, it gets hard to tell whether you're being serious.
History books cover many subjects. Fort Sumter and Charleston is probably one of the few universal cities and moments taught to everyone. Pre-Revolution Boston, Revolutionary Philly along with DC and NYC are the only given similar treatment in comprehensive history books. I’m not actually arguing that that alone puts it first here, only that it certainly is a place people should have heard of prior to being an adult. Graceland/Memphis is probably more memorable to those that hear it, but Charleston is more widely disseminated and I don’t understand the person that said they never really heard of it until an adult.
I don’t understand the person that said they never really heard of it until an adult.
The only reason this is hard for you to believe is because you were taught in Carolina, just a few hours from Charleston, where you grew up Charleston is recognizable to everyone...
Here's a question, what did you learn about Richmond growing up? Because I can tell you the differences on what I can remember hearing about Richmond between Mississippi, California, and Virginia textbooks; to the best of my memory I took a history class in 11th grade in NC but it was beyond the coverage NC gives Richmond, because I can't recall seeing it in text at that high school...
The only reason this is hard for you to believe is because you were taught in Carolina, just a few hours from Charleston, where you grew up Charleston is recognizable to everyone...
If Fort Sumter/start of the Civil War is a geographically-sensitive factoid, than I don’t know what to say.
To add, similarly placed Richmond (a couple hours from NC), had little mention. Not because of geography, but that Richmond’s biggest historical claim (capital of the Confederacy) is more a factoid than anything essential. The administration of Jefferson Davis didn’t make as much a dent to American history as the first shots fired in the Civil War.
If Fort Sumter/start of the Civil War is a geographically-sensitive factoid, than I don’t know what to say.
To add, similarly placed Richmond (a couple hours from NC), had little mention. Not because of geography, but that Richmond’s biggest historical claim (capital of the Confederacy) is more a factoid than anything essential. The administration of Jefferson Davis didn’t make as much a dent to American history as the first shots fired in the Civil War.
I dont know what you mean by "geographically sensitive". All I know is, it's odd that you assume that a)every state teaches American history the way it was taught to you in NC; and b)maybe even odder is the idea that people heard of Fort Sumter in a 5th grade textbook and automatically associate that with Charleston, or that hearing about Charleston in a public school text resonates to the consciousness so much that it is a nationally significant city...
If Fort Sumter/start of the Civil War is a geographically-sensitive factoid, than I don’t know what to say.
To add, similarly placed Richmond (a couple hours from NC), had little mention. Not because of geography, but that Richmond’s biggest historical claim (capital of the Confederacy) is more a factoid than anything essential. The administration of Jefferson Davis didn’t make as much a dent to American history as the first shots fired in the Civil War.
Richmond lacks the musical and culinary history of Memphis. Richmond is largely regionally known but is not on the national stage.
I dont know what you mean by "geographically sensitive". All I know is, it's odd that you assume that a)every state teaches American history the way it was taught to you in NC; and b)maybe even odder is the idea that people heard of Fort Sumter in a 5th grade textbook and automatically associate that with Charleston, or that hearing about Charleston in a public school text resonates to the consciousness so much that it is a nationally significant city...
True again.
Personally, I have nothing against Charleston.
When we're talking facts, figures, and places we learned of 30 years ago, Fort Sumter certainly rings a bell, but associating with Charleston is something I've never given any thought to.
I'm not a Civil War buff and my brain has filled with vast amounts of information since then, probably pushing out stuff I never use along the way.
We live in a society heavily driven by pop culture in which Memphis obviously played a major role. Not to diminish the importance of the other cities, because they're all important, they've just been less visible on the national stage.
I dont know what you mean by "geographically sensitive". All I know is, it's odd that you assume that a)every state teaches American history the way it was taught to you in NC; and b)maybe even odder is the idea that people heard of Fort Sumter in a 5th grade textbook and automatically associate that with Charleston, or that hearing about Charleston in a public school text resonates to the consciousness so much that it is a nationally significant city...
A) is nonsense. I never expected history to be taught the same way. I do expect that Fort Sumter and Charleston have made an appearance in every US history book made since Lincoln was shot, and there are likely only a handful of places that could claim that distinction. History can be interpreted differently, but facts are facts, and the first shots fired in the Civil War are BIG FACTS that every school kid with a minimum level history curriculum has been taught. B) I addressed already. I don’t think reading about Fort Sumter and Charleston means it enters the collective consciousness at the same rate as Graceland/Memphis. I do think it’s disingenuous to treat it like a regional jewel like Savannah or that the shooting was the first time the city entered the national consciousness.
A) is nonsense. I never expected history to be taught the same way. I do expect that Fort Sumter and Charleston have made an appearance in every US history book made since Lincoln was shot, and there are likely only a handful of places that could claim that distinction. History can be interpreted differently, but facts are facts, and the first shots fired in the Civil War are BIG FACTS that every school kid with a minimum level history curriculum has been taught. B) I addressed already. I don’t think reading about Fort Sumter and Charleston means it enters the collective consciousness at the same rate as Graceland/Memphis. I do think it’s disingenuous to treat it like a regional jewel like Savannah or that the shooting was the first time the city entered the national consciousness.
We're just gonna agree to disagree then, I'm okay with that. You're staunchly opposed to the idea that someone who grew up in the United States never heard of Charleston before 2015, which is incredible to me in how stubborn you insist someone must have heard of Charleston, South Carolina before then...
You're married to the notion that every school kid was and has been taught about Fort Sumter or Charleston, which again to me your insistence on this is befuddling. Charleston is way, way more of a regional city than a place with national weight, and honestly that's true of every city on here----->including Memphis, which has more national significance than the cities its being compared to but isn't a nationally renown city...
Civil War recollections don't necessarily suggest cities. If I don't already know it's a big city (Atlanta for example) I might just think of what the place was 156 years ago.
Also, names of historical places sometimes stand on their own in my mind. I've heard of Ft. Sumter and seen it in a movie or two, but am just now placing it on google maps.
We're just gonna agree to disagree then, I'm okay with that. You're staunchly opposed to the idea that someone who grew up in the United States never heard of Charleston before 2015, which is incredible to me in how stubborn you insist someone must have heard of Charleston, South Carolina before then...
You're married to the notion that every school kid was and has been taught about Fort Sumter or Charleston, which again to me your insistence on this is befuddling. Charleston is way, way more of a regional city than a place with national weight, and honestly that's true of every city on here----->including Memphis, which has more national significance than the cities its being compared to but isn't a nationally renown city...
We can just agree to disagree on this one...
The last part is true. The idea Ft Sumter is taught regionally makes no sense to me. Akin to arguing Pearl Harbor is not taught on the mainland. So we will just have to disagree on that.
I think we are further along elsewhere. Charleston isn’t a huge city with a huge following, though it’s a niche city with a hardcore following that cuts across most of the Eastern time zone. And while I think it’s true everyone has read about Charleston at some point in their childhood, that doesn’t mean it has entered the national consciousness. I’ve read about Lexington Ma throughout school, and couldn’t contemplate ever saying I never heard of her. But you ask me today about “Lexington” and two others will pop into my head first before I think of Paul Revere’s Ride. I know of it, but I would not say it captures my interest that much. So Charleston is what it is, a historical city with arguably the most (in)famous moment in American history, that is perhaps on the bubble of being nationally known at best. It’s fine to have it below Memphis.
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