Hello, my name is Alexandria Holmes, and I am a senior at Keene State. I am a double major in elementary education and American studies. My area of interests is around the development and construction of the nation in the colonial era. I am from Exeter, New Hampshire and that is where my interest in history started as it is a very historical town and played a big role in American history.  I also live close to Boston which played a role in influencing my interest in history and helped to spark my interest in colonial America. I am eager to investigate the history of the Civil War more and to continue my education of American history. 

For my project, I am looking at how in the modern age the theme of memory from the Civil war still exists and how these themes continue to convey the ideals of conflict. For the research I want to investigate the statues and memorials that still exist and the effect these have on the modern age. I want to look at the argument around confederate monuments and the reasons for removal and the reasons for them to stay. I am interested in looking into places that use Confederate supporters’ names for public buildings. I want to investigate the perception these names and memorials give off about the state or town. It brings beliefs into question on whether they support the Confederation ideals. I want to investigate the history of the memorials and the reasoning behind their creation and what they wanted to memorialize.