![\"\"](\"http:\/\/housedivided.dickinson.edu\/sites\/2023teagle\/files\/2023\/07\/cooper-discussion-e1690248399380.jpeg\")
<\/a>Cooper pointing to the direction of the incoming army.<\/p><\/div>\n
The day before the students had read Lincoln\u2019s House Divided speech (1858)<\/a> and First Inaugural (1861)<\/a>. Once they got to the battlefield students used the two documents to situate themselves in the Battle of Gettysburg. Students then applied their close reading skills by making astute observations about the geography of the battlefield, specifically how the picturesque landscape was deceptive, and the way it shaped the events of the battle. Some of them even recreated scenes of the battle behind the cannon carriages. Later that day students also viewed a cyclorama of the battlefield at the Gettysburg Visitor\u2019s Center which reinforced the information that they learned on the battlefield.<\/p>\n Ava O., Elena, Ava F. and Safira recreating a battle scene.<\/p><\/div>\n Walking through the battlefield the students were surrounded by monuments. One particular monument, dedicated in 1917 by the state of Virginia, depicted Robert E. Lee perched on his horse with Confederate soldiers at the base. Professor Pinsker guided a group discussion on the difference between memorializing controversial figures in historical sites vs. public spaces. The students reasoned through the discussion like historians making apt observations and interpretations.<\/p>\n<\/a>