In light of the news coming out of North Carolina, if anyone has questions about the history of #SilentSam let me know. I literally wrote the book on that monument. 1/ amazon.com/False-Cause-Fa…
To briefly summarize. The UDC offered to cover around a third of the cost of the monument but failed to meet their planned amount. They refused to sign any contract that would make them fiscally responsible for #SilentSam. Instead they let @UNC's President take responsibility 2/
Then, the UDC left him holding the bag and he had to pay the last $500 out of pocket that they didn't raise (but the school's BOT later paid him back). The University raised the money for over 2/3 of the monument. UNC's president signed the contract for #SilentSam. 3/
Cecelia Moore's well researched brief does an excellent job laying out how the financials worked. Many of these key documents were digitized and made accessible under the Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina project. #DigitalHumanities for the win. scribd.com/document/44480…
If anyone has questions, let me know and I am happy to answer them. I've spent far too much time researching this monument already. 5/
In other news, if we ever do a second edition, I will have to write a new preface. 6/
