Women's History: A Historical Analysis

One hundred fifty years after the conclusion of a bloody war that decimated America, I was selected from a national pool of applicants to be one of a handful of high school students to receive a scholarship to attend the annual Civil War conference at Gettysburg College. With everything from lectures about Chamberlain to a bus tour tracing Robert E. Lee’s final retreat to discussions with renowned historian James McPherson, my erudite group was buzzing with excitement upon arrival. Every lecture, panel, and historical tour provided an in depth look into some facet of the war we had never even considered. Of course, many soldiers died, but how did they transport bodies back to Virginia? How did the advent and spread of photography affect the war? How historically accurate are James Chamberlain’s accounts and to what extent should we trust them? With these questions, each discussion grew further in depth and increasingly detailed to an extent I would not have thought possible. My fellow high schoolers were of extraordinary academic caliber ranging from teenaged author to battle tactic guru. However, some of us had valuable aspects less tangible than eight published books by the age of eighteen. Recognizing the debate mediator, women’s history advocate, and art history analyst (myself!) as meritable was in itself a
Conversations with fellow students, hands on historical experiences, and enlightening interactions with experts in their field provided me with more information about myself than might seem apparent. The specialized nature of each lecture and the professor or historian who delivered it, combined with the multidisciplinary approach of their historical research, are pivotal aspects of research in any field that I may pursue. From this experience, I realized that I flourish when surrounded by people just as passionate as I