this is a film about storytelling, about how we tell the story of our country s past. why do we want to believe one version and not another? maybe because it makes us feel safe at night. there is one episode of america s history that is told very differently, depending on who you are and where you live. it is the story of our civil war and what came after. the hot winds of war blew across the land. made of it, a country divided. friend turned into foe. brother fought against brother. it was such a long and drawn out struggle. and the feeling on both sides was so intense. we re all just romantics, lost in contemporary times you might say. every one of us feels like we were born 125 years too late. to introduce myself, my name is rachel boynton. this is nelson walker. we are independent documentary filmmakers. we re making a film about how we tell the story of the civil war. we re filming in different schools all over virginia and we re going to place this with a deep
this is a film about storytelling, about how we tell the story of our country s past. why do we want to believe one version and not another? maybe because it makes us feel safe at night. there is one episode of america s history that is told very differently, depending on who you are and where you live. it is the story of our civil war and what came after. the hot winds of war blew across the land. made of it, a country divided. friend turned into foe. brother fought against brother. it was such a long and drawn out struggle. and the feeling on both sides was so intense. we re all just romantics, lost in contemporary times you might say. every one of us feels like we were born 125 years too late. to introduce myself, my name is rachel boynton. this is nelson walker. we are independent documentary filmmakers. we re making a film about how we tell the story of the civil war. we re filming in different schools all over virginia and we re going to place this with a deep
this is a film about storytelling, about how we tell the story of our country s past. why do we want to believe one version and not another? maybe because it makes us feel safe at night. there is one episode of america s history that is told very differently, depending on who you are and where you live. it is the story of our civil war and what came after. the hot winds of war blow across the land. made of it, a country divided. friend turned into foe. brother fought against brother. it was such a long and drawn struggle. and the feeling on both sides was so intense. we all just romantics, lost in contemporary times you might say. every one of us feels like we were born 125 years too late. to introduce myself, my name is rachel boynton. this is nelson walker. we are independent documentary filmmakers. we re making a film about how we tell the story of the civil war. [inaudible] and we re going to place this with a deep connection to this the history. what made you c
Understand this history is because we carry it within us. these things need to be unpacked and looked at, and talked about, and we need to decide what we think about them now. it is challenging, but it s where the juice is. [laughs] we call it the war between the states here. we don t call it the civil war. why is it important to call it the war between the states? because that s what it was, it wasn t a civil war. the war of northern aggression, the north came down here and invaded us. we didn t go up there. my grandmother was saying they had to had the food in the chimney because of soldiers who came in would take everything they had. they take all their livestock, any food that was in the house, and it was terrible. the war took place in our backyard, for the people up
it seems to me that one of the major challenges for you as the history teacher would be teaching in a way that connects with such a diversified body. yes, it is. it s kind of like a nation in miniature. because they did start as a segregated all male institution. yeah, it s the oldest school in the country. it was founded in 16 35 by a portion of the population of boston, england. it was all male, it was all white. it was all people of privilege. you know, have really come to believe that part of the purpose of history to tell the story that makes us. but in order for that story to work, we have to see ourselves as being in the same spot we begin with. yeah.