1863 in History and Memory

Looking at Lincoln

Shirley Samuels, professor of English and American studies at Cornell University and the Los Angeles Times Distinguished Fellow, examines the relationship between pictures of Abraham Lincoln and the language that he used in famous speeches.

1863 in History and Memory

Joan Waugh discusses how the Civil War Sesquicentennial is being commemorated, focusing on selected events from 1863 (including the Battle of Gettysburg) and exploring how memory traditions have shaped the war’s legacy. Waugh is professor of history at UCLA and the Rogers Distinguished Fellow in 19th–Century American History at The Huntington in 2013–14.

Anatomy of a Revolution: Understanding the Civil War’s Inner Dynamics

Bruce Levine, author of “The Fall of the House of Dixie,” discusses the specific social and political forces that launched and shaped the revolutionary process of the Civil War. Levine is professor of history at the University of Illinois, Urbana, and the Rogers Distinguished Fellow in 19th-Century American History for 2012–13.

Death and the Civil War

Drew Gilpin Faust, author of “This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War,” talks about the new PBS documentary by Ric Burns, “Death and the Civil War,” which was based on her award-winning book. Faust is president of Harvard University.

The Fall of the House of Dixie

Bruce Levine discusses the demise of the south and the destruction of slavery. Levine is the author of "The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil War and the Social Revolution that Transformed the South." He is professor of history and African American studies at the University of Illinois and the Rogers Distinguished Fellow of 19th-Century American History at The Huntington Library for 2012-13.