Civil War Sesquicentennial Conference

America on the Eve of Civil War: Signature Conference Commemorating the
150th Anniversary of the Nation’s Greatest Conflict

The nation’s first major event commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War will take place at the University of Richmond on April 29, 2009. The program attempts to set an inclusive and innovative tone as we launch a national conversation about the Civil War over the coming years. University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers is the Conference Chair.

The conference features a group of distinguished historians who will participate in four unscripted conversations that view events from the perspective of 1859:   Taking Stock of the Nation in 1859, The Future of Virginia and the South, Making Sense of John Brown’s Raid, and Predictions for the Election of 1860.   This is the first of seven annual conferences sponsored by the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission.

Conference presenters are  nationally-recognized Civil War historians, and include Jean Baker (Goucher), David Blight (Yale), Christy Coleman, (American Civil War Center), Daniel Crofts (College of New Jersey),
Charles Dew (Williams), Eric Foner (Columbia), Gary Gallagher (UVA), Walter Johnson (Harvard), Robert Kenzer (University of Richmond), Gregg Kimball (Library of Virginia), Nelson Lankford (Virginia Historical Society), Lauranett Lee (Virginia Historical Society), David Reynolds (City University of New York), Manisha Sinha (University of Massachusetts-Amherst), Elizabeth Varon (Temple), Clarence Walker (University of California Davis), and Joan Waugh (UCLA).  Edward Ayers of Richmond will act as moderator.

We hope you will plan to participate in person or via the webcast. There are already over 1,400 registered, coming from nearly 20 states. This day-long conference is free to the public, but seating is limited so register today. Registration information and additional details are available at http://www.virginiacivilwar.org/2009conference.php.