Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Human Rights Legacy of Emancipation

A Special Juneteenth Seminar

The long campaigns to protect and abolish the slave system in the American South were the main cause of the American Civil War, so the Emancipation Proclamation and the abolition of slavery became the most important political and social consequences of this bloody conflict. The Civil War and postwar Reconstruction led to new openings for Black citizenship, but the struggle to achieve equal human rights quickly moved into new conflicts over equal voting rights and economic advancement after 1865. This special Juneteenth seminar will begin with an analysis of how the Emancipation Proclamation shaped the meaning of the Civil War and then turn to a discussion of how the advocates for Black equality sought to assure equal citizenship and voting rights through the 14^th and 15^th amendments.  We’ll also examine the experiences of formerly enslaved women in eastern North Carolina who sought to create new lives for themselves during and after Reconstruction.  The overall goal is to understand how the legacies from this era continue to affect American political and economic life in our own time.

TOPICS AND SPEAKERS

The Civil War and the Struggle for Black Citizenship

Susanna Lee, Associate Professor of History, North Carolina State University

The Reconstruction Amendments and Voting Rights: Then and Now

William Sturkey, Associate Professor of History

Black Women’s Fight for Civil War Pensions in the Post-Emancipation South

Brandi C. Brimmer, Associate Professor and Morehead-Cain Alumni Scholar in African, African American and Diaspora Studies

How Does the Legacy of the Civil War and Reconstruction Affect American Society in the Twenty-First Century?

A Panel Discussion with Our Speakers

TIME AND TUITION

9:15am-3:45pm, Saturday, June 18. 

• The tuition is $125 to attend in-person or $75 for virtual viewing.  The optional lunch on Saturday is $20. Register here.
• In appreciation of the important work of K-12 and Community College educators, currently practicing teachers from NC schools can register for FREE to attend in-person, enjoy a free lunch, and RECEIVE A $50 stipend post-event! Current K-12 teachers interested in attending in-person can apply here. Registration closes on Tuesday, June 14 at 5pm. 
• Current K-12 teachers interested in receiving a complimentary virtual viewing registration for this seminar can apply here. Virtual registration closes on Friday, June 17 at 3pm
• Support of the Institute for the Arts & Humanities (IAH) and generous donors to CPH make it possible for teachers to attend in-person or via zoom webinar for free. 
• Discounts are available for UNC students, faculty, & staff. See our UNC Student, Staff, & Faculty Discounted Registration Policy here.

Co-Sponsored by the General Alumni Association. For information about GAA discounts and other scholarships available to Humanities Program participants, click here.

 *Registration for virtual access to this event closes on June 17 at 3pm*

If you have questions, please contact CPH at human@unc.edu or 919-962-1544 (M-F – 9am-5pm EST)