A lecture series to be presented by the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission (SCAAHC) will explore the way African Americans lived during the Civil War and the roles they played in the war.
The African American Civil War Lecture Series, which was made possible by a grant from The Humanities Council of SC will include 16 lectures at four locations by scholars, lay historians, and period re-enactors who will cover such subjects as the Causes of the Civil War, Slavery in South Carolina, The Ordinance of Secession, and Black Confederates.
Other Civil War lectures not funded by the grant will be held at the Old Exchange Building in Charleston on Thursday, February 23, and in Cheraw and Rock Hill on dates to be determined.
“The commission, with the support of the Humanities Council SC, is delighted to facilitate a broader and deeper understanding of the lives of African Americans during this critical period in our history and the actual roles they played in the Civil War,” said Bhakti Larry Hough of Hemingway, SCAAHC chairman. “Clearly, there is a desire among many in the state to get a more complete picture of this conflict, as interest in presenting the lectures are coming from entities not included in the grant. The need to schedule additional lectures is a good problem to have. It is a testament to the fact that people throughout the state are interested in the roles that African Americans played in the Civil War.”
Lecture Schedule
The lecture schedule supported by the Humanities Council SC grant is as follows:
The Penn Center
16 Penn Center Circle W. St. Helena, SC.
Thursday, February 9, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm in Darrah Hall.
- Dr. Eric Emerson, Director of the SC Department of Archives and History: “The Ordinance of Secession”
- Dr. Abel Bartley, Professor of the Director of Pan-African Studies at Clemson University: “The Causes of the War”
- Nicole Green, Director of the Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston: “Slavery in South Carolina”
- Rosalyn Browne, Director of History and Culture at Penn Center: “The Port Royal Experiment”
The Hartsville Memorial Library
147 West College Avenue, Hartsville, SC.
Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
- Dr. Bernard Powers, Professor and Associate Chair of History, College of Charleston: “Black Charlestonians”
- Attorney Billy Jenkinson, Chair, SC African American Historical Alliance: “Lieutenant Stephen Swails”
- Donel Singleton, U.S. National Park Service Ranger: “Resistance, Runaways and Slave Revolts”
- Dr. Larry Watson, Associate Professor and Coordinator of History at SC State University: “Black Confederates”
The Spartanburg Regional History Museum
200 E. St. John Street, Spartanburg, SC.
Thursday, August 23, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
- Dr. Veronica Gerald, Professor of English, Coastal Carolina University; Gullah Geechee Heritage Commissioner: “Grapevine: How African Americans Communicated During the Civil War”
- Dr. Eric Emerson, Director of the SC Department of Archives and History: “The Ordinance of Secession”
- Nicole Green, Director of the Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston: “Slavery in South Carolina”
- Dr. Abel Bartley, Professor of the Director of Pan-African Studies at Clemson University: “The Causes of the War”
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History
8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC.
Thursday, October 25, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
- Dr. Veronica Gerald, Professor of English, Coastal Carolina University; Gullah Geechee Heritage Commissioner: “Grapevine: How African Americans Communicated During the Civil War”
- Ernest Parks, President, Concerned Citizens of Sol Legare: “The Battle of Sol Legare”
- Dr. Larry Watson, Associate Professor and Coordinator of History at SC State University: “Black Confederates”
- Jeannie Cyraique, African American programs coordinator, Georgia Department of Natural Resources: “The Men at the Meeting with General Sherman”
Additional sponsors have ensured that the grant challenge is met and that additional lectures can be added. They are the South Carolina African American Historical Alliance; Fort Sumter / Fort Moultrie Trust; and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
The mission of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is to identify and promote the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings, and culture of the African American experience in South Carolina and to assist and enhance the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The 15-member commission includes representatives from all regions of the state.
All lectures supported by the Humanities Council grant are free and open to the public. Anyone needing additional information on the lectures should contact Joseph McGill, the project coordinator and of the SCAAHC commissioner at 843-408-7727.
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