Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Consequences of the Civil War for Congress and the Federal Government

The United States Capitol Historical Society announces it Spring 2015 annual symposium, Aftermath: The Consequences of the Civil War for Congress and the Federal Government.  It takes place Thursday and Friday of this week.  “Eight scholars will address various topics including the long range consequences for the Constitution, the economy, the federal bureaucracy, and the war's impact on Native Americans.”  On Thursday night, William Nelson, NYU Law, delivers a keynote, “The Fourteenth Amendment and the End of Popular Constitutionalism."  Among the speakers Friday is Paul Finkleman, Senior Fellow, Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism, University of Pennsylvania, and Scholar-in-Residence, National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Schedule after the jump. H/t: NHC
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Congressional Meeting Room South, Capitol Visitor Center
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Opening Session Keynote Address: “The Fourteenth Amendment and the End of Popular Constitutionalism,” William E. Nelson, Judge Edward Weinfeld Professor of Law, New York University School of Law

Friday, May 8, 2015
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room G-50

9:00-9:15 Introductions: Donald R. Kennon, V.P., U.S. Capitol Historical Society, and Paul Finkelman, Senior Fellow, Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism, University of Pennsylvania; and Scholar-in-Residence, National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

9:15-10:00 “Amid the Ruins: Charleston, April 1865,” Adam Goodheart,
Lecturer in History and American Studies; Director, C.V. Starr Center, Washington College

10:00-10:45 “Federal Prisoners of War and the Long Recovery.” Lorien Foote, Professor of History, Texas A&M University

11:00-11:45 “Conscription and the Rise of Big Brother,” Jennifer L. Weber, Associate Professor of History, University of Kansas

11:45-12:30 “When Johnny Came Marching Home, What Did He Find?: A Look at the Postbellum American Economy,” Jenny Bourne, Professor of Economics, Carleton College

2:00- 2:45 “Ely Parker’s Road to Appomattox,” Scott Manning Stevens, Associate Professor and Director, Native American Studies, Syracuse University

2:45-3:30 “A Revolution against the Constitution Turns into a Revolution in Constitutional Law,” Paul Finkelman, Symposium Director

3:45-4:30 “The Civil War at 100, the Civil War at 150: Commemoration, Identity and the Changing Shape of National Memory,” Clay Risen, New York Times

4:30-4:45 Concluding Remarks, Paul Finkelman and Donald R. Kennon