The Civil War as a Turning Point in U.S. History
with Professor William Barney
Saturday, March 4, 2000 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (lunch provided)
Toy Lounge, 4th floor of  Dey Hall
UNC-Chapel Hill
(See Campus Map for details)

About this Session
About Professor Barney
How to Register
Links to Websites Concerning this Topic

About this Session
This session on the Civil War will focus on the recent changes in the historiography on the war, that is, the way in which historians are reconceptualizing the war and formulating new questions to ask of hitherto understudied aspects of the war. On the military side, historians have abandoned earlier notions of inevitability and now stress that Union victory was not foreordained but evolved out of the successful strategic initiatives undertaken by the Union high command and the concomitant inability of the Confederacy to maximize its effort across the multiple theaters of the war. Secondly, the common soldiers - their motivations and degree of commitment - have come in for a great deal of recent attention. We'll also look at fresh work on the respective home fronts (including a new UNC website on the Southern home front during the war) and pay particular attention to the agency of women and African Americans. Handouts will be available on much of this literature.

Coffee and refreshments will be served beginning at 9:30 am, and we will provide lunch.  Participants will receive a set of materials including the primary documents that will be discussed at the seminar.  Each attendee who completes the seminar will also receive a letter attesting to his or her participation, which may be given to the appropriate authorities to receive renewal credit.

About Professor Barney
William L. Barney received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1972 and after teaching for three years at Trenton State College in New Jersey came down to UNC in 1975. He is a 19th century U.S. historian with special research interests in the Civil War and the late antebellum South. Among his publications are The Secessionist Impulse (1974), Flawed Victory (1975), The Passage of the Republic (1987), and Battleground for the Union: The Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction (1990).

How to Register
PHE events are open to all current and future North Carolina school teachers, public and private, as well as faculty and graduate students in local departments of history and schools of education.  There is no fee for this event, but in order to attend, you must register by Monday, February 28, so that we will have an accurate count for our caterer and photocopying service.  To RSVP, call the PHE office (919-962-2385) and leave a message confirming your attendance, or e-mail our coordinator, Kathy Walbert (phe@unc.edu) by that date.  If you leave a message or send an e-mail, you can assume that you have been added to the registration list, but please leave us your phone number or e-mail address in case we need to get in touch with you.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Kathy through any of these means.  We hope to see you on March 4.

Links to Websites about the Civil War
Coming soon!
 
 
 
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