See You In Norfolk

I am very happy to let you know that I have been asked to blog live from the upcoming Signature Conference of the Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission. The conference is entitled “Race, Slavery and the Civil War: The Tough Stuff of American History and Memory” and will be held at Norfolk State University on Friday September 24th.


For those of you who followed last year’s conference you will remember the excellent coverage provided by Kevin Levin at Civil War Memory. Kevin won’t be able to make it this year and suggested that I take his place, which I consider to be a tremendous privilege.

I will be summarizing and commenting upon the different panels and submitting the online questions to the panelists following each session. If you happen to be attending this conference, be sure to say hi if you happen to see me getting water for Jim McPherson :-)

Here’s what the schedule looks like for the day:

8:30 Greetings, Welcome Remarks

9:00 Opening Remarks by James O. Horton

"The Great American Contradiction"

9:15 Session I - "Race, Slavery, and the Civil War"

• Spencer Crew - The Role of the Underground Railroad as a Cause of the Civil War

• Cassandra Newby-Alexander - Waterways to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in Hampton Roads

• Edna Greene Medford - The Quest for Black Rights in the Midst of War

• Ira Berlin - African American Soldiers and the Struggle for Equality

• Bruce Levine - The Myth of Black Confederates

10:45 Break - submit questions for Q and A

11:15 Question and Answer with Session I panelists

11:45 - 1:20 p.m. Lunch break, with optional activities:

Facilitated Feedback Discussion Session

Local Sesquicentennial Committee Roundtable

Harrison B. Wilson Archives Gallery Exhibit

1:30 Afternoon Remarks by Dr. Horton

"The Unfinished Civil War"

1:45 Session II: "The Tough Stuff of American History and Memory"

• James McPherson - Slavery, Freedom, and the Union Navy

• David Blight - John Washington; How, When, Where and Why Emancipation Happened

• Harold Holzer - The Image of the Emancipation Proclamation in Art and Memory

• Jean Fagan Yellin - Harriet Jacobs in the Refugee Camps

• Dwight Pitcaithley - Addressing the Causes of the Civil War in Public History

3:15 Break - submit questions for Q and A

3:45 Question and Answer with Session II panelists

4:15 Wrap-up and conclusion

4:30 - 5:30 Book signing with presenters - Wilder Performing Arts Center