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Registrations still being accepted for first event in Civil War Sesquicentennial series April 29 at University of Richmond

April 2, 2009

A group of leading Civil War historians, led by University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers, an award-winning scholar of the American South, will gather April 29 to recount the state of the country two years before the first shots were fired in the nation's deadliest conflict.

Free and open to the public, "America on the Eve of the Civil War" will be the first in a series of seven annual conferences and two symposia sponsored by the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission. The Virginia General Assembly created the commission to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Virginia's participation in the war. The event will be held at the university's Robins Center.

The interactive program will feature speakers from varied perspectives in a format similar to news programs like "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press." Speakers will limit themselves only to what would have been known in 1859.

More than 1,700 people from 26 states have registered, and registration is continuing. To register, go to VirginiaCivilWar.org or call (804) 786-3591.

The program will focus on four topics from the year 1859:

  • Taking Stock of the Nation - The U.S. is completing its most exhaustive census to date and all parts of the country are booming. Are the regions becoming more integrated or divergent? How will the growth affect politics, religion and reform?

  • The Future of Virginia and the South - The slave-based economy of the South is at an all-time peak, and slaves and cotton have never been worth more. Will those trends continue?

  • Making Sense of John Brown's Raid - The electrifying event of 1859 was John Brown's raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry. What are the long-term effects of the raid?

  • Predictions for the Election of 1860 - Who are the potential candidates of each party, and who has the best chance for winning the nomination and general election? There is turmoil among the Democrats, and Southern-rights advocates are calling for radical change.