Family Life

12.27.10 | Sarah Harnisch

   New York is doesn't have much of anything planned for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. New York State alone contributed 448 thousand troops and 150 million dollars to the union cause during the Civil War, but with the 150th anniversary just months away, the state's government has so far failed to scrounge up as much as a single yankee dollar to commemorate. New York isn't alone-- other states saddled with budget woes are unable to set aside taxpayer cash for a tribute. 21 states have set up commissions to commemorate the anniversary of America's bloodiest war. Of those states, Virginia and Pennsylvania appear to be leading the way to plan, promote, and stage Civil War commemorations. Pennsylvania alone has collected nearly 5 million dollars in government funding, though they say they got a lot of it because they started planning in 2007, well before the recession. On the federal level, the National Parks Service is coordinating Civil War events planned through 2015 at more than 75 battlefields and historic sites. New York  doesn't even plan to create a civil war commemoration commission.