Sesquicentennial fits and starts

Missouri has joined the very short roster of Sesquicentannial states with a $200k funding order. Meanwhile, in Virginia statements about the meaning of the commemoration have already started on contradictory paths:

Consider:

"This is not about getting into that debate of whether the war was about slavery or about states’ rights," said state Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, who sits on the commission.

But:

John Quarstein, historian for the city of Hampton and a consultant to Newport News, said: “It’s going to be marketed differently. It’s the story of a war about freedom."

Freedom for whom from whom?

This Quarstein is not one to commemorate a war when he can celebrate it:

"Every year, I celebrate the Battle of the Ironclads and the Battle of Big Bethel, but now the glare of the spotlight will be on us. It gives us a chance to do more."

Celebration - a natural byproduct of heritage tourism.