Three prominent Civil War scholars offered their perspectives on the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation during “A Fireside Chat: Looking at the Emancipation Proclamation” at the University of Mary Washington on Friday, September 21. The event was organized by the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission and hosted by UMW.
Edna Green Medford, history department chair at Howard University, Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and Harold Holzer, senior vice president for government relations and public affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are the co-authors of “The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views, Social, Legal and Pictorial.” They will interpret and consider the Emancipation Proclamation from different perspectives, including the legal, political and military pressures on President Abraham Lincoln, the historical influence of and response to the proclamation by African Americans and the role pictorial images played in establishing the document in public memory.
James L. Robertson, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at Virginia Tech, will introduce the program and retired attorney and government affairs professional and host of “Cable Reports” Lynwood J. Evans will host the discussion.
The Virginia General Assembly created the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission in 2006 to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Virginia. The commission sponsors conferences and special events, an award-winning gallery exhibit and the Civil War 150 History Mobile, a statewide document digitization program.
For more information, visit www.VirginiaCivilWar.org/emancipation.
