150th anniversary of Civil War: Few blacks on hand
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Cannon fired around Charleston Harbor in South Carolina before dawn, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War...
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Cannon fired around Charleston Harbor in South Carolina before dawn, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War. Only a handful of blacks attended two key events in the state Tuesday despite organizers’ attempts to include all groups.
The cannon thudded as the sun rose, re-enacting the Confederate bombardment of Union-held Fort Sumter in 1861. A concert of somber music preceded the re-enactment on Charleston’s Battery.
WATCH NBC NEWS COVERAGE OF THE CIVIL WAR ANNIVERSARY:
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Some national representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People cautioned that annniversary events may lead to a romanticizing of the antebellum South and slavery. But the civil rights group says it appears the National Park Service has adopted a thoughtful approach for its events.
Neither the concert nor the re-enactment was sponsored by the National Park Service.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
