National Parks

I have been watching Ken Burns' documentary series on the National Parks on PBS this week. This movie has been extremely educational. To say that I've learned a lot would be an understatement. The history of the National Park system is something that I have known very little about....until now.

Although, so far, nothing has been said about the National Military Parks, National Historic Sites, National Monuments, etc, this documentary really does explain the beginnings of some of our Civil War battlefields which have been put under the heading of the National Parks.

When "The Civil War" (one of Ken Burns' most famous films) came out, many historians were highly upset because of the amount of inaccuracies in the film. Yes, there were some, that even I, an amateur historian could pick out. But the overall good that that film did to promote our nations past was better than the bad points. Is "The National Parks" film inaccurate, also? I have no idea....I don't know enough about the history, but what I can say is that this film will renew an interest in our nations resources.

Although, so far the series is dealing only with the "natural" National Parks (Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, etc) we can carry over the feelings behind the beginnings of these parks into our very own Civil War Parks. The reason all of these parks were created was to preserve what was there. How do we explain to our children and grandchildren that the Grand Canyon was demolished to create another "city"...how do we tell our children and grandchildren about the geysers at Yellowstone that were plowed over to put in a mall....how do we explain to our children and grandchildren about a war that literally tore our nation apart? We need to see the ground. This is why we need our national parks.

I have to thank Ken Burns for bringing to the forefront our nations heritage. He has singlehandedly turned the quest for knowledge of our past into a serious adventure. Throughout every single one of his films (whether its an hour or 12 hours) he has brought to light the stories that have made our nation what it is. He has told the little known stories of our past so that now these stories are well-known. I, for one, am very thankful for the films that he has made.

Please take a day or two to sit down and watch at least one episode of this fantastic series. You may find yourself addicted to it, as I have. Through watching this series, I feel as if I have made some new friends from the past....friends that I do not want to ever lose touch with!