National Archives to Hold Civil War Symposium
Press Release · Thursday, September 23, 2010

Welcoming and Keynote Address, 9 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

The Home Front, 10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
How did the Civil War impact everyday life, and how did people confront the challenges of living in a nation at war? A distinguished panel discusses the home front in both the Union and the Confederacy and how daily life was affected. Moderated by Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor of History, University of Virginia, panelists include J. Matthew Gallman, Professor of History, University of Florida; Thavolia Glymph, Associate Professor of African & African American Studies and History, Duke University; James Marten, Professor and Chair of History, Marquette University; and Amy Murrell Taylor, Associate Professor, University of Albany, SUNY.

A Global War: International Implications, 2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Through diplomatic negotiations and naval conflicts, the Civil War’s impact extended far beyond U.S. borders. While Union and Confederate troops battled on American soil, a global diplomatic battle ensued. Moderated by Edward Ayers, President of the University of Richmond, panelists include Richard J. M. Blackett, Andrew Jackson Professor of History, Vanderbilt University; Howard Jones, University Research Professor, University of Alabama; Phillip E. Myers, former Director of Administration, Western Kentucky University Research Foundation; and Brian Schoen, Assistant Professor of History, Ohio University.

The Nation Before and After, 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
What was the state of our nation before and after the Civil War? Before the war, as southern states were seceding from the Union, few Americans could have imagined a war that would last four years, destroy much of the South, and free four million slaves. How did our injured nation begin to create a new social, political and economic order? Moderated by Eric Foner, Professor of History, Columbia University, panelists include Paul A. Cimbala, Professor of History, Fordham University; Elizabeth R. Varon, Professor of History, Temple University; Eric H. Walther, Professor of History, University of Houston; and Joan Waugh, Professor of History, UCLA.

Reception, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.