The liberation of four million men, women, and children from slavery in the United States is often told as a one-man, one-moment story. But, in fact, it took many people and much behind-the-scenes work to accomplish emancipation.
Amy Murrell Taylor, an associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky, will focus on the untold story of freedom when she speaks on Tuesday, October 15, at the third installment of the UT Humanities Center lecture series. Her talk, titled “On the Frontlines of Freedom: Life Inside the U.S. Civil War’s ‘Contraband’ Camps,” will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Shiloh Room (Room 235) in the Carolyn P. Brown University Center.
Taylor is an historian of the US South with a special interest in the Civil War era, gender, and family. She is the author of The Divided Family in Civil War America and co-editor of Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Her essays have appeared in popular publications including the Civil War Monitor magazine and The Civil War: Official Park Service Handbook.
Her current research on the experiences of refugees from slavery who lived in military-sponsored contraband camps during the Civil War has been supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies.
Here’s a look at the rest of the UT Humanities Center Lecture Series:
- Monday, March 10—Patricia Buckley Ebrey, professor of history, University of Washington. Her talk is entitled “Emperor Huizong: Daoist, Poet, Painter, Captive.” She will offer a fresh look at the Chinese emperor who came to the Song Throne in the first month of 1100, a few months after his seventeenth birthday, and reigned almost twenty-six years. Rather than dwell on the turmoil caused by his reign, she will look at the ruler as a skilled poet, painter, calligrapher, musician, and art collector.
Time and location to be announced.
- Thursday, April 24—Carole Pateman, distinguished professor emeritus of political science, University of California, Los Angeles.
Details of her talk, as well as its time and location, to be announced.
Find more information about the UT Humanities Lecture Series online.
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CONTACTS:
Joan Viola Murray (865-974-4222, jmurra10@utk.edu)
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)