One of the reasons the Easter Rising is so significant is due to the numerous sites where important events unfolded. It was at these sites that crucial meetings, speeches, and attacks took place (“The 1916 Rising”). While many of these sites have had to be restored and rebuilt over the years, they are still important today and commemorated in a number of ways. The roles played by these sites have made the Easter Rising unique to many other rebellions throughout history. Learning the history of these sites, their role in the Easter Rising, and how they are celebrated today is critical in understanding just what makes the Easter Rising so significant.
The landscape of Easter Week differs in a number of ways from the landscape of the Civil War. Many of the sites of Easter Week have been restored or completely rebuilt, whereas their American counterparts have largely been preserved to memorialize their historical significance. The sites of the Civil War are largely and commemorated across the country still today. An entire industry has been built based on reliving the Civil War. From the reenactments to the battlefields and everything in between, the Civil War remains a widely celebrated part of American history. On the other hand, almost all of the sites during the Easter Rising are still used today, but in ways unrelated to the 1916 Rising. While the Irish people view the Easter Rising as the start of the fight for independence, these sites are not deeply commemorated or honored in ways similar to the Civil War (“The 1916 Rising”). While there are a few museums and monuments, these sites, while historically important, simply remain everyday places in lives of Irish men and women. 100 years later, the overall message and meaning of Easter Rising may be held in high regard, but the landscape itself is often overlooked.
There are many reasons why the Civil War and the Easter Rising are remembered in such different ways. One reason could be that the Civil War was a much larger, longer event than the Rising (McPherson). The Civil War spanned multiple years while the Rising spanned only days. The Civil War was something that overtook the entirety of the country, with nearly everyone feeling its effects. The Easter Rising took place in Dublin, and there was not much support for it outside of the city. The Rising and the Civil War are commemorated on such different levels is because of what they were fighting for. While the Rising was a rebellion against the government and a fight for independence, the Civil War was a rebellion against human rights violations and a fight for civil liberties. The idea of freedom has two very different meanings in both of these events, and while the Rising and the Civil War are commemorated in vastly different ways, both are vitally important to the history of their respective countries.