Commonwealth Speakers:The Civil War Era
Speaker Anthony Waskie brings General George Meade to life in his presentation on Pennsylvania's great military commander.
Meet General Meade, Pennsylvania's Great Military Commander and Citizen
Using Meade's own words and extensive background research, Anthony Waskie, speaking as General Meade, will recount the general's career and services to the nation. From his work as an engineer and lighthouse builder to combat in the Seminole and Mexican Wars to his assuming command of the Union Army on the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg, where he handed Lee his first defeat, Meade was integral to the survival of the Union. Not only successful in war, Meade also designed Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, founded two schools for the orphans of Civil War veterans, and helped integrate surviving veterans back into peacetime pursuits. Participants are encouraged to ask "General Meade" questions about his life and work.
Anthony Waskie, Ph.D., Professor of Languages and Member of the Civil War and Emancipation Studies Project, Temple University, Philadelphia
Contesting Gettysburg: Landscapes of Memory and an American Shrine
The idea of sacred landscape in America is a contentious and evolving concept, as can be seen most poignantly in the ongoing debate over the future of the World Trade Center site in New York City. Brian Black will explain notions of the sacred through the history of the preservation efforts at Gettysburg, and will encourage participants to discuss what sacred areas might exist in their region and how they could be better preserved or managed. Requirements: Screen.
Brian Black, Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies, Pennsylvania State University, Altoona
Civil War Era Music
The trauma of the Civil War era produced a tremendous amount of music, as the nation mourned and sought relief from the deaths of over 600,000 Americans. Some of the songs and tunes were handed down from immigrant cultures, and others were newly composed. Themes often included the life of soldiers, domestic scenes, death and abolition. Instrument maker and musician Thomas Jolin will perform a selection of these works and discuss their origins, as well as the origins of the instruments of the period.
Thomas Jolin, Musician and Instrument Maker, Orrtanna
The Black Soldier in the Civil War
Appearing in authentic 19th Century garb, Joe Becton incorporates an interactive style to open a window into the world of Civil War African American soldiers. Using an array of techniques including period equipment, music and poetry, he identifies the causes of the Civil War, exposes the conditions of camp life and explores the reality of war. Requirements: Chair.
Joseph Becton, Interpreter and Musician, Philadelphia
Abraham Lincoln and the Paradox of Greatness
Lincoln's contemporaries knew little about this relatively inexperienced candidate when he ran for president, and they had good reason to doubt his abilities. But Lincoln became one of America's best-known and most honored leaders. Roger Lane explores Lincoln's claim on posterity, which rests not just on his victory in the Civil War but also on the unique combination of Lincoln's personal qualities, his historical context and the American imagination.
Roger Lane, Ph.D., Professor of History, Haverford College
Slavery to Freedom: Pennsylvania's Role in the Development of the Underground Railroad
Since the days of the Founding Fathers, Pennsylvanians were active abolitionists, one of the great testaments to the Commonwealth's collective belief in equality before the law and liberty for all. Despite the lack of written documents - due to the secrecy of its operations - Underground Railroad narratives are embedded in journals, diaries, poems, music, coded messages and of course in the biographies of Harriet Tubman, Lucretia Mott, Thomas Garrett, Robert Purvis, William Still, Frances E.W. Harper and many others. Nilgun Anadolu Okur reveals these narratives in her presentation about the history of Pennsylvania's role in the Underground Railroad. Requirements: Slide projector and screen, CD/cassette player, display table. Microphone preferred.
Nilgun Anadolu Okur, Ph.D., Associate Professor of African American Studies and Women's Studies, Temple University, Philadelphia
Am I Not a Sister? Jane Swisshelm, Women's Rights and the Anti-Slavery Cause
In pre-Civil War Pennsylvania, abolitionists campaigned against slavery on multiple fronts. Among the most important abolitionists were Pennsylvania's women, including Pittsburgh's Jane Swisshelm, a pioneering journalist and civil rights advocate. Swisshelm was the first woman reporter to cover the U.S. Congress, and a key advocate in reforming Pennsylvania law which affected the rights of women. John G. Burt will shed light on her contributions to the lives of professional women, women's civil rights and the abolition of slavery. Requirements: TV/VCR, overhead projector.
John G. Burt, Attorney and Adjunct Professor of Sociology, LaRoche College, Pittsburgh
Philadelphia and the Civil War
Philadelphia is often noted as a shrine to the Revolutionary War, but the city played a significant role in the Civil War as well and was called the "Arsenal of the North." As a major transportation hub, manufacturing center, the site of the finest hospitals in the nation and the source of tens of thousands of men for the armed forces, the city was crucial to the war effort. Anthony Waskie will discuss many of the sites closely identified with the Civil War, including training camps, recruiting stations, hospitals, arsenals and depots as participants learn of Philadelphia's role in the Civil War. LCD projector and screen preferred.
Anthony Waskie, Ph.D., Professor of Languages and Member of the Civil War and Emancipation Studies Project, Temple University, Philadelphia