In the Cause of Liberty: African Americans and the Civil War

Christy Coleman speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On Thursday, April 4, 2013, Christy Coleman presented the fifth lecture in our six part Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

It’s the spring of 1862 and over 100,000 Americans are already dead and the slaughter that is the Civil War is about to begin again. On January 1, 1863, and ignoring the advice of his advisers, President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation executive order. Listen as Ms. Coleman explains how this document took shape 150 years ago and why it’s still important today.

Christy Coleman was raised in Williamsburg Virginia. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from Hampton University. Ms. Coleman began her career as a living history interpreter at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation while still a college student. She rose through the ranks to become the director of African American Interpretations and Presentations. It was during this time that she and her team gained international acclaim for their bold and evocative programming. She has served as president and CEO of the nations largest African-American museum, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History in Detroit. In 2008 she accepted the position of president and CEO of the The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar. She has lectured extensively and consulted with some of the county’s leading museums, written several articles for scholarly and public history publications as well as being an award winning screen writer for educational television. Her most recent work, Freedom Bound, won an Emmy in 2009 for outstanding educational programming.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville. During the Q&A portion of the program, Ms. Coleman explains the rational behind the Colonial Williamsburg Slave Auction that brought her national attention in 1994.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

The Battlefield Photography of Dr. Reed B. Bontecou

John Cummings speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville

On Thursday, March 28, 2013, John Cummings presented the forth lecture in our six part Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

In this podcast Cummings talks about photography during the Civil War. Listen to the story Dr. Reed Bontecou, an army surgeon who took it upon himself to photograph the effects of war on the human body. You’ll also hear the story of G. O. Brown and how he “acquired” the many Civil War photographs that bear his name.

John Cummings is considered to be an expert on photography in the Civil War. His blog discusses the social, political and cultural aspects of the American Civil War battles fought in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

Such is War: The Looting of Fredericksburg

Beth Parnicza speaking at the
Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On March 21, 2013, Beth Parnicza presented the third lecture in a our six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

How does an action like the looting of Fredericksburg reflect on the culture of the army of the Potomac, and of the country at large? How do we think about the looting in the great scheme of battle? How is it that the looting of Fredericksburg can be considered a form of victory? These and many more questions are answered in this interesting podcast.

Beth Parnicza is an historian with the National Parks Service at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park where she supervises the Chancellorsville Battlefield Center and manages volunteers and social media. A 2011 graduate of West Virginia University, her research interests focus largely on the human element of the Civil War, particularly in understanding the steps taken by individuals toward a harder kind of war and their motivations to do so.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

Geology and Some Civil War Battlefields

Richard Nicholas speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On March 14, 2013, Richard Nicholas presented the second lecture in our new six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

Finding the high ground was important to Civil War commanders for many reasons. Listen as Nicholas explains the role that this and other geological features played in the outcome of the war.

Richard L. Nicholas is a native Virginian and UVA graduate. He obtained his graduate degree from the University of Kansas. Richard has worked for Shell Oil as a geologist where he rose to the rank of chief geologist by the time of his retirement in 1991.

Richard has had a life long interest in Virginia history, especially the Civil War and has written two books, in the Virginia Regimental History series. He has written numerous articles for The Magazine of Albermarle County History. Mr. Nicholas recently completed a new book, Sheridan’s James River Campaign of 1865 Through Central Virginia.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

Moving Dirt: The Evolution of Fieldworks

Dale Floyd speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

On March 7, 2013, Dale Floyd presented the first lecture in a new six part CPN Thursday series entitled The Civil War Through Different Lenses (2013).

Henry Halleck defined fieldworks as “the art of disposing the ground in such a manner as to enable a small number of troops to resist a larger army the longest time possible.” According to Floyd, creating such fortifications was often difficult work. “To the scarcity of entrenching tools, many of the men were obliged to use their sabre bayonets, tin plates, and in some cases merely their hands to scrape up the dirt for the breastworks.” says Floyd in this podcast.

Dale Floyd studied at Ohio University and the University at Dayton. He has written nine books on military history. Mr. Floyd has been an archivist at the National Archives, and an historian with the US Army Core of Engineers and the National Park Service.

The lecture series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Click here listen all six parts of this series.

Reckoning with Our Racial History in the Era of Obama

Douglas Blackmon speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville Wednesday.

The 13th Amendment ended slavery in the United States, or did it? In this podcast, Pulitzer Prize winner Douglas A. Blackmon talks about what really happened during reconstruction.

Douglas A. Blackmon is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Slavery by Another Name: The Re- Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, chair of the University of Virginia’s Miller Center Forum program, and a contributing editor at the Washington Post. Mr. Blackmon’s book was awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The book also received many additional awards and citations and was a New York Times best seller. Mr. Blackmon is also co-executive producer of a documentary film based on the book which was broadcast on PBS last year. The documentary will be rebroadcast on PBS on February 22, 2013.

Until 2011 he was the longtime chief of The Wall Street Journal’s Atlanta bureau and the paper’s Senior National Correspondent. He has written about, or directed coverage of, some of the most pivotal stories in American life, including the election of President Obama, the rise of the tea party movement, the BP oil spill, and the hurricane Katrina disaster. Prior to his work at the WSJ, Blackmon covered race and politics at the Atlanta Journal Constitution for seven years.

Raised in Leland, Mississippi, Blackmon penned his first newspaper story for the Leland Progress at the age of twelve. He received his degree in English from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. At present he is time sharing between Charlottesville and downtown Atlanta where his family makes their home.

Mr. Blackmon spoke at the Wednesday, February 13, 2013 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV vice-president Bob McGrath.

Charlottesville’s 2012 Time Capsule

This plaque will mark the spot where the Charlottesville 2012 Time Capsule will be enshrined Sunday.

In this podcast CPN’s Dan Gould talks with Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society President Steven Meeks about its plans to “bury” a time capsule Sunday.

Steven has had a long time interest in local history. Listen as he talks about the historic ceremony to take place on Sunday December 23, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. at the Society’s building on Second Street NE. The ceremony is a part of Charlottesville’s 250th birthday celebration taking place this year.

Unlike the 1962 time capsule unearthed earlier this year, the new capsule will be encased in a specially made compartment in the ACHS building. By enshrining the capsule above ground it is hoped that its contents will fair better than did those of the 1962 capsule. Listen as Steven tells the story of both the old and new time capsules and of the steps to make sure tomorrow’s capsule will survive until it is opened in 2062.

Central Virginia Railroads in the 19th Century

Rick Britton speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville

On Thursday, September 27, 2012, Rick Britton presented the fourth and final lecture in our series entitled “Virginia History 301: The Old Dominion in Antebellum Times.”

The date is June 27, 1850 when the very first train rolled into Charlottesville, says Britton, in this fascinating podcast. Rail passengers of time could travel from Richmond, VA to Charlottesville in just 12 hours, says Britton. Listen as he tells the story of the early railroads of central Virginia, and of Claudius Crozet, the brilliant engineer who created the world’s longest tunnel through the Blue Ridge mountains.

Britton, an award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer organized the series in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

This is the fourth and final part of this series. Click here listen all four parts.

Edward Coles: Albemarle Emancipator

Bruce Carveth speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville

On Thursday, September 20, 2012, Bruce Carveth presented the third lecture in our series entitled “Virginia History 301: The Old Dominion in Antebellum Times.”

Carveth tells the story of Edward Coles, an Albemarle County native, who, on April 14, 1819, freed his slaves. The freeing of slaves by ones will was rare, freeing slaves while their master still lived was almost unheard of according to Carveth. Listen as he recounts the amazing events of Cole’s life.

Bruce Carveth is a writer, editor, database developer and independent scholar currently living in Charlottesville, Virginia. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Mr. Carveth moved to Central Virginia in 1983. He discovered the little known story of Edward Coles in 1998 then joined forces with his writing partner Kurt Leichtle to publish Crusade Against Slavery: Edward Coles, Pioneer of Freedom in 2011.

Mr. Carveth has an MA in applied social and community psychology from the University of Guelph in Ontario, and a masters degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Tech.

The series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

This is the third of a four part Thursday series. Click here listen all four parts of this series.

Virginia Architecture in the Mid 19th Century

Ed Lay speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville

On Thursday, September 13, 2012, Ed Lay presented the second lecture in our series entitled “Virginia History 301: The Old Dominion in Antebellum Times.”

Mr. Lay explains how classical forms of architecture, a form which originated in Greece, became known as the “National Style” in the mid 1800s in America. Ed points out that in the American deep south the practice of surrounding homes with Greek-style columns was popular until the Civil War. He continues with specific examples of buildings embodying this form, many of which can still be found in the Charlottesville area. Following his presentation, Mr. Lay answered questions from the audience.

Mr. Lay is the Cary D. Langhorne Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of Virginia. A veritable font of architectural knowledge on the Old Dominion, Professor Lay has also taught abroad in Edinburgh and Vicenza.

The series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

This is the second of a four part Thursday series. Click here listen all four parts of this series.

Slavery in 19th Century Virginia

Beth Taylor speaking at the Senior Center in Charlottesville

On Thursday, September 6, 2012, Beth Taylor presented the first lecture in a new series entitled “Virginia History 301: The Old Dominion in Antebellum Times.”

In this podcast, you will learn about how the practice of slavery became institutionalized in the American South. According to Taylor, field slaves worked 19 hour days sometimes in extreme temperatures. A slave’s working life could begin as early as age 6. By age 12, they were considered to be adults and assigned an adult’s work load. Taylor wraps up with the 1831 story of Nat Turner’s Rebellion, the bloodiest slave revolt in American history.

Ms. Taylor has served as director of interpretation at Jefferson’s Monticello and as director of education at James Madison’s Montpelier. She is also a fellow at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Taylor’s first book, A Slave in the White House: Paul Jennings and the Madisons was a New York Times best seller and a National Book Award nominee. She has appeared on The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart.

The series was organized by award-winning historian and Charlottesville-based author, lecturer, and cartographer Rick Britton in conjunction with the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

This is the first of a four part Thursday series. Click here listen all four parts of this series.