Spectacle of Grief
Dr. Sarah J. Purcell joins us to discuss her book Spectacle of Grief: Public Funerals and Memory in the Civil War Era which examines how funerals of major figures from that era allowed a diverse set of people to contribute to changing American national identities. Purcell will also discuss how mourning rituals for figures like Col. Elmer Ellsworth, whose White House funeral galvanized Union troops and deeply affected President Lincoln at the beginning of the war, distilled political and social anxieties.
- Credit
- White House Historical Association
