ICS Speaker Series: Dr. James Horton & Dr. Lois Horton

Spring 2008 Speaker Series
International Cultural Studies Certificate Program

“Commemorating Slavery: The Tough Stuff of American Memory”

Dr. James Oliver Horton
Dept. of American Studies and History, George Washington
University & Dept. of American Studies, UHM

Dr. Lois E. Horton
Dept. of History, George Mason University &
Dept. of American Studies, UHM

From the argument about the display of the Confederate flag over the statehouse dome in Columbia, SC to the dispute over Thomas Jefferson’s fathered children by his slave, Sally Hemmings, to heated discussions about the causes of the Civil War, slavery has become one of the most contentious historical issues in America’s memory and is directly linked with contemporary concerns about race. What is the implication of America’s foundation in human bondage for understanding its commitment to human freedom? How can Americans reconcile the history of slavery with their national heritage of optimism and their assumptions about the basic fairness of American society? These questions become especially pertinent in 2008 as we attempt to commemorate the bicentennial of the legal ending of the American Atlantic slave trade, in 2009 as we commemorate the birth of Abraham Lincoln, and in 2011 as we commemorate the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. Historians at historic sites, in historical museums, at national historic parks, and other historic places where Americans come to learn about their history and to confirm their proud heritage bear an especially heavy burden in addressing the question of slavery in America’s heritage. Our lecture will focus on these complex and controversial issues and discuss some of the more recent attempts to deal with the public presentations of American slavery.

Event Sponsor
International Cultural Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa and East-West Center

More Information
Patty Harris, ICS Program Manager, 808-944-7593, culture@hawaii.edu, http://www2.hawaii.edu/~culture

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