Dr. Adam Dean helped The Virginia Mercury, an online newspaper, examine and debunk several myths about slavery and the Civil War this week.
Journalist Rex Springsteen wrote the article to address a wide range of incorrect ideas about slavery, including beliefs that are sometimes used to dismiss criticism of slavery. Dr. Dean is one of several historians and professors throughout the state who helped Springsteen give context and details to expose the myths.
Dr. Dean also set the stage for why it’s important to get the facts straight about race, slavery, and the Civil War. “Myths about slavery prevent any type of reconciliation or dialogue,” he said in the article.
Dr. Dean is a historian specializing in slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, and the author of An Agrarian Republic: Farming, Antislavery Politics, and Nature Parks in the Civil War Era. He will give a talk about the origin of national parks at 10:50 a.m. Saturday, June 15, at Appomattox Court House National Historic Park. His talk is part of a nature day organized by the Appomattox 1865 Foundation.
