Blue and Gray Education Society
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| Blue and Gray Education Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Blue and Gray Education Society |
| Formation | 1996 |
| Type | Non-profit historical society |
| Headquarters | Lexington, Virginia |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | President |
| Leader name | Dr. Robert Krick |
| Website | Official website |
Blue and Gray Education Society The Blue and Gray Education Society promotes study and public understanding of the American Civil War era through scholarship, preservation, and public programs. It supports research on figures, battles, and institutions of the 19th century, offering publications, conferences, and awards that connect scholars, archivists, and preservationists. The Society collaborates with museums, universities, and historic sites to disseminate primary-source materials and interpretive studies.
History
Founded in 1996, the Society emerged amid renewed scholarly interest following works by James M. McPherson, Gary W. Gallagher, and Eric Foner. Early supporters included staff from National Park Service, curators from Museum of the Confederacy, and historians affiliated with Library of Congress. The organization expanded through partnerships with Civil War Trust, National Archives, and regional bodies such as Virginia Historical Society, Maryland Historical Society, and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Over two decades the Society contributed to projects involving collections from Robert E. Lee papers, Ulysses S. Grant correspondence, and records tied to the Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Antietam, and Appomattox Court House.
Mission and Activities
The Society's mission centers on promoting rigorous research about antebellum politics, the Confederate States of America, the United States of America during the 1860s, Reconstruction-era developments, and cultural memory shaped by figures like Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth. Activities include archival digitization in collaboration with the American Antiquarian Society, oral-history projects with the Smithsonian Institution, and curriculum development for teachers using materials from Peabody Institute collections. The Society also advises preservation efforts at sites linked to the Seven Days Battles, the Shiloh Campaign, and the Siege of Vicksburg.
Publications and Resources
The Society publishes a quarterly journal and a monograph series featuring essays on topics ranging from the Missouri Compromise to the Compromise of 1877, and studies of personalities such as William Tecumseh Sherman, Stonewall Jackson, George B. McClellan, Philip H. Sheridan, and Nathan Bedford Forrest. Digital resources include searchable transcriptions drawn from the holdings of the New York Historical Society, Harvard University Library, and Duke University Special Collections. Collaborative bibliographies reference works by Drew Gilpin Faust, Shelby Foote, Bell I. Wiley, and James L. McPherson, while archival finding aids point researchers to collections at Princeton University Library and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Conferences and Events
Annual conferences rotate among venues such as Gettysburg National Military Park, Richmond National Battlefield Park, and Shiloh National Military Park and feature keynote speakers from institutions like Yale University, Princeton University, University of Virginia, and Johns Hopkins University. Panels address battlefield archaeology with contributors from Archaeological Institute of America, digital humanities tracks led by the NEH Digital Humanities Office, and public history workshops in concert with staff from Historic New England and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Special symposia have examined the legacies of the Emancipation Proclamation, Reconstruction-era amendments, and commemoration practices tied to monuments in Charlottesville and New Orleans.
Membership and Organization
Membership comprises independent scholars, archivists, curators, educators, and preservationists affiliated with organizations such as American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, Association for Documentary Editing, and regional groups including the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Tennessee Historical Commission. Governance is by an elected board including representatives from universities, museums, and national repositories; committees oversee publications, grants, and outreach. The Society maintains cooperative agreements with Smithsonian Institution Libraries and regional archives like the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
Awards and Grants
The Society administers awards and grants supporting research, preservation, and public programming, including named prizes honoring scholars such as Eric Foner and James M. McPherson, dissertation fellowships linked to the National Endowment for the Humanities, and preservation grants for sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Competitive fellowships have funded projects at the Library of Congress, Newberry Library, and the American Philosophical Society, while teaching grants supported partnerships with National Council for History Education and community initiatives in places including Fredericksburg, Charleston, South Carolina, and St. Louis.