Tennessee in the American Civil War was one of the most divided states in the country at the outset of the war. Before the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Tennessee was staunchly pro-Union, though there were still a few secessionist hot beds in the western and middle portion of the state. The situation rapidly changed when Fort Sumter was bombarded and Lincoln made the call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion. Tennesseans saw this as a threat to their "southern brethren," and though Tennessee voted to secede, there were still areas scattered all over state that had strong Union sympathies. The areas Unionism was most prominent
Commemoration of the American Civil War historical reenactment groups that performed pageants and re-creations of Civil War battles, field maneuvers, and encampments. 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. Many in the American South attempted to incorporate both black history and white perspectives. A Harris Poll given in March 2011 suggested that Americans were still uniquely divided over the results and appropriate memorials to acknowledge the occasion. While traditionally American films of the Civil War feature "brother versus brother" themes, film treatments of the war are evolving to include African American characters. Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP, said