Sesquicentennial Lecture Series

CHARLESTON, SC – April 2011 –  2010 to 2015 marks the Sesquicentennial of a historic series of events in our nation’s history which altogether encompasses what we know as The Civil War. There is no joy to be found in a war that caused the deaths of over 620,000 Americans from the North and the South – who lived, fought and died for what they believed. However, there is much we can learn from them and from that extraordinary conflict, as the lessons of history are meant to be examined, understood, and applied. It is important to know that the Sesquicentennial is not a celebration but an observance of an event that changed the course of our nation’s history.

The following list is the remainder of the lecture series.  

LECTURES

The Road to War: Slavery, Economics and States Rights. Includes lectures by Barbara Jeanne Fields on Who Cared About States’ Rights? and Gavin Wright speaks about Economic Interpretations of the Civil War; Amanda Mushal, moderator. Sat. April 9 at 10am; St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 67 Anson St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by the Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust (843) 720-3819.FIELDS SPEAKING AT APRIL 11 CONCERT

Photographer and Historian Perspectives on “Post Civil War Charleston – 1865: A Photographic Retrospective.” Photographer Rick Rhodes and historian Robert Rosen give a combined lecture on the 1865 photographs that were restored by Mr. Rhodes which reflect a war torn Charleston in the immediate aftermath of the war. Sat. April 9 from 12-2pm. City Gallery at Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs (843) 958-6484.

Artist Perspectives on “Civil/Uncivil: The Art of Leo Twiggs.” Dr. Leo Twiggs gives a lecture on his artwork on view in the City Gallery at Waterfront Park. The works represent aspects of the South’s legacy as it relates to both the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Sun. April 10 from 5-6:30pm; City Gallery at Waterfront Park, 34 Prioleau St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs (843) 958-6484.

War and Wardrobe. Mary Hatcher and Jean Hutchinson present a multimedia program examining the decline of women’s clothing throughout the Civil War. The program focuses on the women of Charleston and includes photographs, illustrations, artwork and documents from the period and models will display reproductions of dresses from the war period. Sun. April 10 from 5-6pm; Sand Dunes Club, Sullivan’s Island. Admission: Free. Produced by the Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust (843) 720-3819.

Plantation Life & The African-American Experience. Features a lecture by Joseph McGill (National Trust for Historic Preservation) who has spent the past year reliving the plantation experience in extant slave cabins throughout the state. Mon. April 11 from 11:30am-1:30pm; Captain James Missroon House, 40 East Bay St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: $45 reservations required. Produced by Historic Charleston Foundation for the 64th Annual Festival of Houses & Gardens (843) 723-1623.

A Troubled House: American Leaders and the Issues of 1861. Features lectures by Edward L. Ayers speaking about The Logic of Secession and Emory M. Thomas on The Dogs of War; Robert H. Dallek, moderator. Mon. April 11 from 6:30-8:15pm; First (Scots)Presbyterian Church, 53 Meeting St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by the Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust (843) 720-3819.

Who is True Israel? Yankees, Confederates, Jews and African-Americans. Features a lecture by Leonard Rogoff (Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina) as part of the Food For Thought Lecture Series; talk is preceded by dessert and coffee. Mon. April 11 at 7pm; Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Center, 96 Wentworth St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Center at the College of Charleston (843) 953-5682.

Postal Service in Charleston. Rain, shine or war – no matter what, the mail never stops running. Join Robert Karrer and Rick Calhoun to learn about the postal system as it was in Charleston in 1861. See examples of letters and stamps from the time period. Tues. April 12 from 1-2pm & 3-4pm; Liberty Square, 340 Concord St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by National Park Service (843) 883-3123.

Inheriting the Wind: American Youth at the Onset of Battle. Features a lecture by James M. McPherson, Pulitzer prize-winning author, speaking on Volunteers in Blue and Gray: Why They Fought; introduced by Vernon Burton; Marcus Cox, moderator. Tues. April 12 at 7pm; Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by the Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust (843) 720-3819 .OVERFLOW SEATING AVAILABLE ONLY.

African-American Life in Antebellum Charleston. Dr. Bernard Powers speaks about Free African Americans in Antebellum Charleston at 1pm; Joe McGill speaks about dwellings of enslaved people at 3pm. Wed. April 13; Liberty Square, 340 Concord St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by National Park Service (843) 883-3123.

The Sounds of Charleston During The Civil War. Dr. Nic Butler discusses war-themed popular songs and military marches to minstrels shows and African American spirituals and how the people of Charleston heard and performed a wide variety of musical styles during the early 1860s. Thurs. April 14 at 1pm; Liberty Square, 340 Concord St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by National Park Service (843) 883-3123.

Winslow Homer and the Civil War. Architect and art historian Kenyon (Tim) C. Bolton III will provide insight into Homer’s development at the beginning of his career when he spent time on the front lines creating sketches of soldiers as a special correspondent for Harper’s Weekly. Thurs. April 14 at 6pm; Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free/Gibbes Members; $10/Non-Members. Produced by the Gibbes Museum of Art (843) 722-2706 ext. 22.

The Confederacy Is On Her Way Up The Spout: Letters to South Carolina, 1861-1864. Features a lecture by J. Roderick Heller, III, author of Democracy’s Lawyer: Felix Grundy of the Old Southwest and the co-editor of The Confederacy Is on Her Way up the Spout: Letters to South Carolina, 1861-1864. Thurs. April 14 at 7pm; Charleston Library Society, 164 King St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by the Charleston Library Society (843) 723-9912.

The Real Truth of Civil War Medicine: Diseases, Surgery, and Dentistry – “Military Medicine.” Dr. Scott Evans lectures on the practice of medicine in America during the mid 1800s which was vastly different from what is considered the modern medicine of today. Sun. April 17 at 1pm; Liberty Square, 340 Concord St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: Free. Produced by National Park Service (843) 883-3123.

The Real Truth of Civil War Medicine: Diseases, Surgery, and Dentistry – “Dentistry.” David Smoot lectures. Napoleon once said that an army travels on its stomach. It won’t get very far with bad teeth though, so a trip to the dentist is just what the general ordered. Sun. April 17 at 3pm; Liberty Square, 340 Concord St. Admission: Free. Produced by National Park Service (843) 883-3123.

“…Deathly Blasts By The Thousands.” Advancements in Small Arms Technology, 1860-1865. Features a lecture by Grahame Long, curator of the Charleston Museum about mid-19th century advancements in weaponry. Wed. April 27 at 6:30pm; Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting St., Downtown Charleston. Admission: $10/Adults; $5/Children. Produced by the Charleston Museum (843) 722-2996.