Press Release
Press Release · Wednesday, July 25, 2001

Washington, DC . . . In August and September, the National Archives and Records Administration presents public programs covering a wide variety of topics including two historical biographies, baseball in the nation's capitol, Military History, Presidential Elections, Yosemite, and the National Archives' naturalization ceremony in celebration of Constitution Day on September 17.

The programs are free and open to the public and will take place in room 105 at the National Archives Building, Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW and at the National Archives at College Park, located at 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD. The public may verify times and dates by calling the National Archives public events line at (202) 501-5000. TDD users may call (202) 501-5404.

August

Thursday, August 2-Author Lecture and Booksigning
Biography Historian Evelyn Hayes will discuss a chapter from her upcoming book about the American Civil War. Titled "John Brown, Old Testament Shepherd: Marching from Ohio into the Valley of the Shadow of Death," this chapter focuses on Brown's life from his days in the Western Reserve to his crusade in Harper's Ferry and subsequent trial. Noon. Room 105. Reservations are recommended; call 202-208-7345.

Tuesday, August 7-Author Lecture and Booksigning
Baseball Jim Roberts will talk about his latest work, Hardball on the Hill: Baseball Stories from Our Nation's Capital. The book examines the unique relationship between Presidents and baseball, the long and intense rivalry of the congressional baseball game, and minor league baseball in the area. It also includes many stories and anecdotes about famous and not-so-famous people, like Clare Donohoe, the first woman signed for the real "League of Their Own," and John Dowd, the Washington attorney who conducted the investigation of Pete Rose. Noon and 7 P.M. Room 105. Reservations are recommended; call 202-208-7345.

Thursday, August 9-Author Lecture and Booksigning
Biography David Turk will discuss his new book, Give My Regards to the Ladies: The Life of Littleton Quinton Washington. In his lifetime, L. Q. Washington was a young adventurer in gold rush-era San Francisco, a powerful political insider and outspoken advocate of Southern interests in antebellum Washington, DC, chief clerk of the State Department of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, a booster for southern Reconstruction, and an outspoken journalist. Noon. Room 105. Reservations are recommended; call 202-208-7345.

Tuesday, August 14-Author Lecture and Signing
Military History Trevor K. Plante, an archivist with the Old Military and Civil Records unit of the National Archives, will discuss his article "Two Japans: Japanese Expressions of Sympathy and Regret in the Wake of the Panay Incident." This article, from the Summer issue of Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration, recalls the great outpouring of sympathy from the Japanese public in 1937, four years before Pearl Harbor, after Japanese forces sank a U.S. Navy gunboat. After the Panay was attacked, many Japanese citizens and schoolchildren sent letters of apology-in sharp contrast to the Japanese government's reluctant admission of guilt. Noon. Room 105. Reservations are recommended; call 202-208-7345.

Thursday, August 23-Author Lecture and Booksigning
Military History Tony Echevarria will discuss his book, After Clausewitz: German Military Thinkers Before the Great War. The writings of Carl von Clausewitz loom so large in the annals of military theory that they obscure the substantial contributions of those thinkers who came after him. Echevarria shows that these theorists-Boguslawski, Schlieffen, and their American and European counterparts-were not the architects of outmoded theories: They duly appreciated the implications of the vast advances in modern weaponry and set about finding solutions that would restore offensive maneuver to the battlefield. Noon and 7 P.M. Room 105. Reservations are recommended; call 202-208-7345.

September

Wednesday, September 12-Author Lecture and Booksigning
Presidential Elections Ted Widmer and Alan Brinkley will discuss their book, Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races. From William McKinley's historic "front porch" campaign to the media and money-powered campaigns of today, this book features in-depth discussion of the 1992 to 2000 campaigns by author and historian Alan Brinkley, and insightful commentary on each race from 1900 to 1988 by Ted Widmer. Noon. Room 105. Reservations are recommended; call 202-208-7345.

Monday, September 17-Constitution Day
Naturalization Ceremony The National Archives, in co-sponsorship with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, continues the tradition of commemorating the signing of the Constitution of the United States by holding a naturalization ceremony for petitioners seeking American citizenship. In light of the fact that the Rotunda of the National Archives is now closed for a 2-year renovation project, the District Court has offered their Court for this wonderful event, which also affords you the opportunity to see the ceremony in the District Court Building. This year's ceremony, which will mark the 214th anniversary of the signing, will be held at 10:00 A.M. at the Court, 333 Constitution Avenue, Courtroom 20, 6th floor. Attendance is open to the petitioners, families and guests as well to a limited number of members of the public holding tickets. Tickets are free but must be reserved by calling 202-501-5215.

Tuesday, September 18-Archival Sources Lecture
Constitution Day/Abraham Lincoln series From a Covenant with Death to a Covenant with Life: The Constitution's Transformation During the American Civil War. In 1854 the renowned abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison burned a copy of the Constitution in public, proclaiming it a "Covenant with Death" because it sanctioned the institution of slavery. But just over a decade later, when Congress adopted the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, Garrison abandoned his former condemnation and now termed the Constitution a "Covenant with Life." Michael Vorenberg will discuss the making and meaning of the Thirteenth Amendment and explain how the Constitution was transformed during the Civil War as Americans came to see the potential of their founding document as an agent of change rather than an obstacle to reform. Vorenberg is the author of Final Freedom: The Civil War, the Abolition of Slavery, and the Thirteenth Amendment. Co-sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Institute of the Mid-Atlantic. Noon. Room 105.

Wednesday, September 26-Author Lecture and Booksigning
Yosemite & the National Park Service Harvey Meyerson will discuss his book Nature's Army: When Soldiers Fought for Yosemite. Despite the worldwide renown and popularity of Yosemite National Park, few people know that its first stewards were drawn from the so-called Old Army. From 1890 until the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916, these soldiers proved to be extremely competent and farsighted wilderness managers. So great was the Army's ultimate environmental influence that the National Park Service embraced the Army model as its own, right down to the uniforms still worn today. In fact, many of the first civilian rangers were drawn directly from the Army, while some of the Sierra Club's most outspoken early members were cavalrymen serving in Yosemite. Noon. Room 105. Reservations are recommended; call 202-208-7345.

National Archives at College Park Events 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD

Monday, August 20-Author Lecture and Booksigning Ron Menchine will discuss his book Propaganda Postcards of World War II. The Second World War produced numerous posters and postcards and this guide offers a first-time directory of the postcards designed to shift the tide of public support during the Second World War. Mr. Menchine's book shows the not-so-subtle postcard messages issued by propaganda ministries of 20 nations-including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy. Noon. Lecture Room B. Call 202-208-7345 for reservations.

For PRESS information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700. To verify the date and times of the programs, the public should call the Public Events Line at: 202-501-5000, or view the Calendar of Events on the web at: http://www.archives.gov/about_us/calendar_of_events/index.html

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