Making Sense of the American Civil War
NEW Coming in January 2012!
About the Program
The 150th anniversaries of the Civil War and Emancipation are being commemorated around the country in a variety of ways, reawakening interest in the war and the many issues it raises. AHC will engage Arizonans in this vital discussion through Making Sense of the American Civil War, a reading and discussion program for public libraries, presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association's Public Programs Office.
Hosting a Making Sense of the Civil War Series
AHC will offer a Civil War related program series that Arizona libraries can offer for free to their communities through January 2013. This new series is designed as five conversations exploring different facets of the Civil War experience, informed by reading the words written or spoken by powerful voices from the past and present.
Host sites will receive twenty copies of books for each discussion, and are strongly recommended to follow the outline of topics and suggested readings provided by AHC. Texts include historians’ accounts; novels; speeches; proclamations and government documents; news accounts; and journals and letters from soldiers, nurses, abolitionists, former slaves, and other eye-witnesses to the transformative events of the mid-19th century. Sites may also utilize AHC's Road Scholars program to provide complementary programs as part of the series.
How to Apply
Making Sense of the Civil War application
Applications are due April 2, 2012.
Readings
An introductory essay by projecthistorian Edward L. Ayers verviews the themes of the series and explains the scope of topics. The text may serve as an introductory text for participants but is required reading by scholar-facilitators before the series begins.
Session One: "Imagining War"
Reading:
March by Geraldine Brooks [2005]
Selections from America's War anthology
Session Two: "Choosing Sides"
Reading:
Selections from America's War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on their 150th Anniversaries, a new anthology edited by Edward L. Ayers and published by NEH and ALA
Session Three: "Making Sense of War"
Reading:
Selections from America's War anthology
Session Four: "The Shape of War"
Reading:
Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam by James M. McPherson
Selections from America's War anthology
Session Five: "War and Freedom"
Reading:
Selections from America's War anthology
Speaker Bureau topics:
- Emacipation and the Destruction of Slavery, 1861-1865
- Our Civil War: Relfections at the Sesquicentennial
Questions?
For more information, please contact Erica Kinias at 602/257-0335 x26.
