The Public History of the Civil War, a Sesquicentennial Symposium

On April 12, 1861, the Battle of Fort Sumter triggered the beginning of the American Civil War–a war that would consume our country for four long years and change it forever. As the 150th anniversary of the Civil War approaches, the Department of History is holding a symposium to lead the conversation.

On Saturday, March 26, 2011, the History Department will host a day-long symposium from 8:30am – 6:30pm “to facilitate discussions among Civil War interpreters, museum curators, and scholars about how to convey integrated narratives of military, social, and political history,” according to Professor of History David Zonderman. “We have an abundance of historical knowledge to educate others and ways to bring history to life and demonstrate its importance.”

As the next four years mark several anniversaries of the Civil War, attendance at historical sites will likely rise. With this in mind, the symposium will include discussions ranging from perceptions of Abraham Lincoln to Civil War medicine that will aid attendees in learning “how to step out from behind textbooks and breathe life into events of the past.”