It’s been 20 years since his documentary “The Civil War” first aired, but filmmaker Ken Burns is still a rock star when it comes to the topic. Burns was at the National Archives on Tuesday as the agency previewed its new exhibit Discovering the Civil War.
“The Civil War is, of course, the most important event in American history,” Burns said excitedly. “It is the traumatic event in the childhood of our nation’s history.”
The exhibit, which will tour the country for the Civil War’s 150th anniversary, includes original documents from the archives mixed with modern technology, like a “Facebook for generals” display, which guests can use to understand how big-name Civil War figures were socially connected.
The first part of the exhibit opens Friday at the National Archives. A second part opens in November.
