History in 140 Characters or Less
At dawn on August 21, 1863, a band of pro-Confederate guerrillas from Missouri, led by William Quantrill, launched a surprise attack on Lawrence. The raid left approximately 200 citizens dead and the town in ruins. This month, two KHC-supported projects take to Twitter to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the raid and to explore the complexities and tragedy of life on the Kansas-Missouri border during the Civil War. Twitter connects users through "tweets" -- updates written in 140 characters or less. By following hashtag #QR1863 or subscribing to the QR1863 list on Twitter, users can track Quantrill's Raid events in "real time" as they unfolded 150 years ago. Today through August 21st, KHC is tweeting daily excerpts from the "Quantrill's Raid & Order Number 11" Shared Stories of the Civil War reader's theater script. Each tweet contains a link to the KHC Blog offering historical context and primary source materials about the raid in Lawrence and Order Number 11, the eviction of 20,000 people from four counties in Missouri.
In addition, a project coordinated by the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area is bringing Lawrence community members and historians together to tweet the events of Quantrill's Raid through the voices of those who witnessed, participated in, or were victims of the raid.
The Lawrence Twitter event will be followed by a public discussion about the events and aftermath of Quantrill's Raid and it's legacy 150 years later. Click here for more information. The Twitter event is supported by a KHC Mini Grant.
Follow KHC and #QR1863 on Twitter for Quantrill's Raid tweets.
Banner Image: "Destruction of the City of Lawrence," KansasMemory, Kansas Historical Society.
|
Bring Shared Stories to Life
Like what you read on Twitter? Consider presenting a live "Quantrill's Raid and Order Number 11" Shared Stories of the Civil War reader's theater at your school, workplace, or community organization to commemorate Quantrill's Raid. It's free and everything you need -- scripts, handouts, and setup instructions -- can be found here.
|