The Slave Dwelling Project with Joseph McGill

There is really no way that we, as Americans in the 21st century, will ever know what it was really like to experience what slaves did in the Ante-Bellum South. However, we can get closer to understanding it - archival research is a good start. But, as Joe McGill illustrates, the actual slave dwellings, many of which are still standing, offer a great deal of the story - and engaging with the physical artifacts can only add to our understanding. In this episode, Joe explains his Slave Dwelling Project - an effort to educate about the realities of slavery and his campaign to save the places where slaves lived their lives. Joe is also a living historian - recreating a soldier from the famous 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. We talk a great deal about Black men in the Civil War - both North and South.  So if you think about it, this is two-for-one episode. Enjoy!! We discuss:

• What Joe expected to find when he embarked on this project

• The unexpected...and there is always something unexpected...

• Public reaction to his work

• The educational opportunities with the project

• The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and working as a living historian

• Critics who feel that reenacting glamorizes or trivializes warfare

Joe suggests (and I agree) that we all go out and see The Free State of Jones, he has some great advice for students of history and recommends The Diary of Anne Frank - seeing parallels here with his own work. Please be sure and visit The Slave Dwelling Project online - from there you can find out more about special events and educational opportunities.

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Music by Advent Chamber Orchestra is licensed under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/