Civil War Book Discussion: America’s War Anthology (Part V)

March 19, 2013

The College of Southern Maryland is pleased to announce that the fifth Civil War bookBook Discussion will be held Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at the College of Southern Maryland, LaPlata campus, Center for Business and Industry, BI-113E, 8730 Mitchell Road, LaPlata, MD.  This is a five part series sponsored in part by the Maryland Humanities Council, in which three books are discussed.  Loaner copies of the book are available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the LaPlata campus library.

Civil War Book Discussion: America’s War Anthology Part V

The final conversation focuses on the emancipation of four million people who had been held in slavery for over two centuries. Following the conclusion  of the war at Antietam, President Lincoln drafted the Emancipation Proclamation, allowing Frederick Douglass  to rally black men to the defense of the United States, because it is now fighting for their freedom.  While the Gettysburg Address, given in November 1863, does not speak of slavery directly, its potent language frames the purpose of the war as freedom understood in its broadest terms. After finally being able to enlist, 200,000 African American men joined the service in just two years. Emancipation was not a single event but a long and uneven series of struggles on plantations and farms, in cities and towns, all across the South. In a final essay on Images of the War, America’s War illuminates drawings from artists who were able to see firsthand, army camps in the midst of battle and enabled the public to picture the war as it progressed and to help us make sense of the American Civil War today.

Admission is free. For more details, please call 301-934-7606 or visit smsc@csmd.edu.

Download a Flyer Here

Civil War Book Discussion: America’s War Anthology (Part IV)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE FOR PART 4 OF THE CIVIL WAR BOOK DISCUSSION HAS BEEN MOVED TO THURSDAY MARCH 7, 2013.

Please call 301-934-7606 or visit smsc@csmd.edu for more details!

March 7, 2013

The College of Southern Maryland is pleased to announce that the fourth Civil War bookBook Discussion will be held Thursday, March 7, 2013 at the College of Southern Maryland, Leonardtown Campus, Building C, Room 216, 22950 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD, from 7-9PM.  This is the fourth of a five part series, sponsored in part by the Maryland Humanities Council, in which three books are discussed. Loaner copies of the book are available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the LaPlata campus Library.

Civil War Book Discussion:  Crossroads of Freedom and America’s War Anthology Part IV

In the fourth segment of the discussion series, opposing views are offered on the study of Antietam. Neither the Union nor the Confederacy could claim a glorious victory, but Civil War historians James McPherson and Gary Gallagher argue sides on a victory.  McPherson sides for a Union victory while Gallagher argues on behalf of the strength  of the Confederate Army.  Drew Gilpin Faust’s excerpt shifts our focus from the the course of battle and politics, to the suffering of families and communities and asks that we broaden our vision of what took place.

Admission is free. For more details, please call 301-934-7606 or visit smsc@csmd.edu.

Download a Flyer Here

Civil War Book Discussion: America’s War Anthology (Part III)

February 19, 2013

The College of Southern Maryland is pleased to announce that the bookthird Civil War Book Discussion will be held Tuesday, February 19th, 2013 at the Calvert County Library, Prince Frederick branch, Meeting Room 1, 850 Costley Way, Prince Frederick, MD, from 7-9PM.  This is the third of a five part series, sponsored in part by the Maryland Humanities Council, in which three books are discussed.  Loaner copies of the books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the LaPlata campus library.

Civil War Book Discussion: America’s War Anthology Part III

Part III of three discussion series approaches the Battle of Shiloh, which occurred in April 1862, almost exactly a year after Fort Sumter and the secession of Virginia.  The battle redefined the boundaries of the military conflict and thousand’s of men with little training and no experience in war were thrown against one another in days of inexpressible suffering and waste.  The war was seen as a desperate, defiant effort by the Confederacy to stop the progress of the Union Army and Navy and shattered any fantasies people had that the war would be won easily by either side.

Admission is free. For more details, please call 301-934-7606 or visit smsc@csmd.edu.

Download a Flyer Here

Civil War Book Discussion: March and America’s War (Part I)

January 29, 2013

The College of Southern Maryland is pleased to announce it will be hosting Civil War Book Discussions, Tuesdays through March.  The first of Civil War Book Discussions-combo bookCivil War Book Discussions this five part series, sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council, will take place at The College of Southern Maryland, La Plata Campus on January 29, 2013, from 7-9PM in the Center for Business and Industry Building, Room BI-113.  Loaner copies of the books to discussed are available on a first come first serve basis in the La Plata campus library.

Civil War Book Discussion:  March and America’s War Anthology Part I

Discussions center around Geraldine Brooks book, March, which tells its story through the characters of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, by representing the point of view of the father of the girls in Little Women, Reverend March.  The reader travels with the chaplain into places where he is not wanted, where his values elicit ridicule and contempt.  The harsh world of slavery, men and war challenges everything the March family believes in, including one another.  Another voice in the first conversation is Louisa May Alcott’s, drawn from her experiences as a nurse for the union in 1862.  Alcott tells of her determination to find a purpose for her life by helping the hospitals in Washington, D.C.  She experiences the horror, satisfaction and deep personal trials during her time with the wounded, ill and dying men.  Attendance is free.  For more information, please call 301-934-7606 or visit smsc@csmd.edu.

Download a Flyer Here