Decision 1856 archive
Decision 1856 is a historical re-enactment of the United States
presidential campaign of 1856. It is performed in
Buchanan,
the county seat of
Haralson County, Georgia, which was created
in 1856.
Year 2006 performance
Year 2007 performance
Year 2008 performance
Advisory
Many controversial issues involved in the election of 1856, such as the
public and private aspects of religion; the status of persons of
different ethnicities, creeds, citizenships, and conditions; the role
and scope of government; the choice of facing or burying issues which
divide us and so on - have echoes even today, albeit the specifics or
emphases vary. To learn more about this too-often-ignored critical
election, you can consult the Web chapter rooted at:
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~gahchs/1856/President/
In our handbook on the world of 1856 rooted at:
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~gahchs/1856/
we often try to give various historical points of view the opportunity
for sympathetic portrayal, even if many or most people today have very
different personal inclinations. We also try to educate today's reader
about things of which our 1856 predecessors knew nothing, and we do.
Finally, there are many things about life in 1856 which stir no stronger
feeling than curiosity, and we have labored to see these aspects of life
are given their due attention, and are not crowded off the stage by the
passions of morality, politics and war. We learned things about the
world in 1856 by creating this Web site (which might expand yet) -
perhaps you will as well! Beyond the potential for serious learning, we
hope the re-enacted 1856 election can be a source of innocent fun - it
ain't real! - The producers
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