Programs:Making Sense of the American Civil War
"A hundred and fifty years after the pivotal event in our nation's history, we are still discovering its meanings." — Edward L. Ayers, Civil War historian
African American soldier and family,
Modeled after a popular American Library Association program, Making Sense of the American Civil War is a reading and discussion program commemorating the 150th anniversaries of the Civil War and Emancipation.
The program features a series of scholar-led conversations exploring different facets of the Civil War experience—informed by reading words written or spoken by powerful voices from the past and present. The following books are included in the discussion:
- March by Geraldine Brooks
- Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam by James McPherson
- America's War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries, edited by Edward L. Ayers
PHC is 1 of 37 organizations nationally awarded funds to administer the program. We are pleased to partner with the following libraries to present the program:
- Altoona Area Public Library (Blair County)
- F.D. Campbell Memorial Library (Lawrence County)
- Lancaster Public Library (Lancaster County)
- Peters Township Public Library (Washington County)
The program begins in February and continues throughout the year. For background information on Making Sense of the American Civil War, an initiative of NEH and ALA, please visit NEH's Federal and State Partnerships website at http://partnership.neh.gov/activities/civilwarhosts.htm. To participate, contact one of the above libraries for details.
Also participating in Making Sense of the American Civil War is Middletown Free Library. Middletown Free Library is the only library in Pennsylvania to receive the grant. They are presenting a program on the Underground Railroad in Delaware County and local medicine during the Civil War. Our congratulations to them!
Making Sense of the American Civil War, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.
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