Reconstruction in Public History and Memory at the Sesquicentennial: A Roundtable Discussion

The public memory of Reconstruction has long been a complex and fraught subject in the United States. But where do we stand now, and what will Reconstruction’s sesquicentennial entail? What issues confront scholars, civil rights advocates, public history practitioners, and teachers devoted to deepening conversations about Reconstruction? What opportunities does Reconstruction’s sesquicentennial present? The following […]

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Marching Women and Banning Refugees

If like many of us are struggling to make sense of these turbulent times, check out “The Whiskey Rebellion” podcast. In this episode, American historians and expats, Frank Cogliano and David Silkenat discuss The Women’s Marches in D.C. and around the world, the special relationship between the U.S. and U.K. and finally President Trump’s refugee […]

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Historians Speak Out on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Dangerous Times

The 2016 election results raise serious concerns for Americans concerned about the protection of civil rights and basic constitutional liberties. Over 1200 of us have signed a statement placing some of these concerns into stark historical context and suggesting ways to use historical knowledge and awareness of past missteps as part of what we call […]

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C-Span 3 Will Air Symposium Panels

We are pleased to announce that C-Span 3 will air panels four and five from our Memories of Massacre: Memphis in 1866 Symposium. Panel four, The Memphis Massacre will air on July 9, 2016 at 6:00pm (EST) and panel five, The Radicalization of Reconstruction will air on July 23, 2016 at 6:00pm (EST). After airing, C-Span […]

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Panel Two: Civil War and Emancipation in the Mississippi Valley

On May 20-21, 2016, the University of Memphis hosted “Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866, a Symposium Exploring Slavery, Emancipation, and Reconstruction.”  The culmination of a semester-long series of lectures, workshops, discussions, and book talks, this symposium featured historians and scholars from across the country, including Robert K. Sutton, retired Chief Historian of the […]

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Panel One: Slavery and Slave Life in the Mississippi Valley 

On May 20-21, 2016, the University of Memphis hosted “Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866, a Symposium Exploring Slavery, Emancipation, and Reconstruction.”  The culmination of a semester-long series of lectures, workshops, discussions, and book talks, this symposium featured historians and scholars from across the country, including Robert K. Sutton, retired Chief Historian of the […]

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Day Two: Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866 Symposium

  On May 20-21, 2016, the University of Memphis hosted “Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866, a Symposium Exploring Slavery, Emancipation, and Reconstruction.” The culmination of a semester-long series of lectures, workshops, discussions, and book talks, this symposium featured historians and scholars from across the country, including Robert K. Sutton, retired Chief Historian of the […]

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Day One: Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866 Symposium

On May 20-21, 2016, the University of Memphis hosted “Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866, a Symposium Exploring Slavery, Emancipation, and Reconstruction.”  The culmination of a semester-long series of lectures, workshops, discussions, and book talks, this symposium featured historians and scholars from across the country, including Robert K. Sutton, retired Chief Historian of the […]

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Commemorating the 1866 Memphis Massacre

by Phyllis Aluko This past summer, I finally read Stephen Ash’s book, A Massacre In Memphis, and was stunned. I was not stunned because of what I learned about the nature of the atrocities perpetrated against the African-American community in 1866. Nor was I stunned that no one was prosecuted for the offenses although the […]

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