Monday, April 28, 2014

Congress and Reconstruction, and More in Washington, DC

Amanda Moniz, the Assistant Director of the National History Center, has commenced a much-needed service for Washingtonians interested in history by gathering news of public historical events in the capital.  To contribute, email her at amoniz@historians.org.

Of note for legal historians are two “Researcher Talks” at the National Archives, which are held at noon in the Research Center, G-25, Archives 1.  On May 1 the speaker is Nancy Beck Young, who will discuss Why We Fight: Congress and the Politics of World War II.  On May 5 Romain Huret, Associate Professor of American History at the University of Lyon, will discuss American Tax Resisters.  For more information, please call 202-357-5350.

But the main event this week is A Just and Lasting Peace”: Ending the Civil War, the 2014 United States Capitol Historical Society Annual Symposium, to be held from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM on Friday, May 2, 2014, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50.  The speakers are Gregory P. Downs, Carole Emberton, Paul Finkelman, Matthew Pinsker, Anne Sarah Rubin, Michael Vorenberg, and Peter Wallenstein.  I'll note the papers of Professor Finkelman and Vorenberg below.  The rest are here; other information, including that relating to registration here.
“Henry Wirz and Concept of War Crimes: Vengeance or Justice," by Paul Finkelman

“Judgment at Washington: Lew Wallace, Henry Wirz, and the Elusive Quest to End the Civil War," by Michael Vorenberg