Three speakers at University of Lynchburg this semester will unify several topics related to the Civil War to help listeners understand more about the war.
The Civil War and Reconstruction lecture series features a scholar known for his decades of research on the war, the author of The Free State of Jones, and a rising scholar of racial violence in the Reconstruction period.
People interested in Civil War history often think of slavery, battles, and Reconstruction as separate topics, and most people take up interest in only one, said Dr. Adam Dean, history professor at University of Lynchburg. But they have much in common. “The purpose of this speaker series is to show how integrated those topics are and to open up discussions,” he said.
Studied together, the Civil War and Reconstruction periods reveal how the nation dealt with a war, the end of slavery, the aftermath of military occupation, and the need to create a biracial society, he said.
The series opens with a talk by Dr. Gary W. Gallagher on Wednesday, March 22 at 6 p.m. in Snidow Chapel. Dr. Gallagher, a history professor at the University of Virginia, has been a giant in the field of Civil War research for 30 years. He has published books about how movie depictions shape our impressions of the Civil War, the causes of the war, and more. He also was included in a book of historical analysis of Civil War-era photography.
Dr. Victoria Bynum will speak about her book The Free State of Jones on April 5 at 6 p.m. in Hopwood Auditorium, Hopwood Hall. The book about Newt Knight’s resistance to the Confederacy in Mississippi became a major motion picture starring Matthew McConaughey.
Dr. Kidada E. Williams will present the concluding lecture at 6 p.m. April 27 in Hopwood Auditorium. Her book They Left Great Marks on Me explores the history of racial violence between emancipation and World War I. Her next project focuses on how black families experienced Reconstruction violence after the Civil War.
All lectures are free and open to the public.
