Lincoln Monument on Kelly Dr.
Philadelphia - 1872
Signing the Emancipation Declaration
Welcome to 'Civil War & Emancipation Studies' at Temple (CWEST) 'QUEST'
An interdisciplinary consortium of scholars and educators who seek to promote interest, dialogue, research and scholarship in the History of the Civil War Era and Emancipation and 19th Century American Studies
The Civil War & Emancipation Studies at Temple is a study group within The Center for Humanities at Temple (CHAT)
The College of Liberal Arts established the Center for the Humanities at Temple (CHAT) in 2003 to create an interdisciplinary forum that supports scholarship and intellectual inquiry in the humanities by Temple University faculty and graduate students. The Center seeks to bridge the disciplinary divides between departments and the University’s colleges by promoting broad, humanities-based conversations that connect scholars across scholarly fields and modes of inquiry. The Center sponsors conferences, lectures, discussions groups, pedagogical innovations, and research projects. Located on the tenth floor of Gladfelter Hall, the Center's comfortable quarters serve as a gathering place for scholars from across the disciplines to meet, enjoy social hours, and read the latest humanities-oriented journals and periodicals.The Center sponsors a rich and diverse range of activities, including:
Visits of
distinguished scholars to campus
Public lectures and conferences
in the humanities for the campus
and the community
Research grants to faculty and
students
The Andrew W. Mellon Term
Professorship in the Humanities
The Center for the Humanities
Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the
Humanities
Graduate Fellowship and
Associateship programs
Programs to strengthen
interdisciplinary graduate and
undergraduate studies in the
humanities
Contributions to planning and
development across the
humanities in the College of
Liberal Arts
Community programming
Cooperation with national and
international humanities
institutions
Dr. Peter Logan, CHAT Director, Associate Professor of English. Fields of Interest: 19th-Century British Literature, History of Medicine, Cultural Studies, Critical Theory
http://www.temple.edu/humanities/
Co-Directors of CWEST:
Nilgun Anadolu-Okur, Ph.D. African-American Studies
(anadolu@temple.edu)
Diane Turner, Ph.D. Curator, Blockson Collection
ddturner@temple.edu
Gregory Urwin, Ph.D. Military History
gurwin@temple.edu
Elizabeth Varon, Ph.D. History
(evaron@temple.edu)
Anthony Waskie, Ph.D. Languages
(awaski01@temple.edu)
ANNUAL CONFERENCES
Each year, CWEST sponsors an Underground Railroad and Black History Conference at Temple, to commemorate Black History Month. The conferences each have an organizing theme:
February 13, 2004: "US Constitution, Civil Liberties, and the Underground Railroad"
February 12, 2005: “Flight for Freedom, Fight for Freedom”
February 10-11, 2006: “City of Brotherly Love at War: Philadelphia’s Contribution to Freedom”
February 10, 2007: "Race and Gender in the Era of Emancipation”
February 22, 2008: “Journeys of Discovery in 19th Century African American History”
February 6, 2009: "Heralds of Freedom: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the End of Slavery": A conference marking the 150th anniversary of John Brown's Raid and 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Birth
6th Annual Temple University:
Underground Railroad & Black History Month Conference
Friday, FEBRUARY 6, 2009
Annual Black History Month, Underground RR and the Civil War
Symposium:
'Heralds of Freedom: John Brown - Abraham Lincoln, and the End of Slavery'
Walk Auditorium, Ritter Hall 12th & Montgomery Ave.
2:00 (registration) – 7:30PM
Light Refreshments FREE - Public Invited! Panel of distinguished scholars; Keynote Address; Symposium; book displays & signings by authors! Through the Quest for Freedom Live & Learn Weekend, we are offering those who ‘register’ for the evening living history program presented by the Civil War Museum a copy of James Oakes’ book. The copy as seen on: (gophila.com/questforfreedom) The first 25 people to preregister for the program at www.gophila.com/questforfreedom will receive a free copy of the book at the event call (215) 599-2295 or email quest@gptmc.com
Center for the Humanities
Civil War & Emancipation Studies at Temple (CWEST)
Temple University
Gladfelter Hall, 10th Floor
1115 West Berks Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
e-mail: awaski01@temple.edu
Dr. Andy Waskie: 215-204-5452
http://isc.temple.edu/awaskie/CWEST.htm
The featured speakers at the conference receive an Award of Achievement for distinguished efforts on behalf of the History of the Civil War & Emancipation Era
Past Recipients:
2008 Nat Brandt, Yanna Kroyt Brandt,
Allison Dorsey, Diane D. Turner
2007 Richard Newman, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, Sarah Roth, Matthew Gallman, Carla
L. Peterson, Jim Downs, Mia Bay, Margaret Bacon, Catherine Clinton
2006 Judy Giesberg, Murray Dubin, Dan Biddle, Millicent Sparks, Christopher
Densmore, Fergus Bordewich, James McGowan, Craig Caba, David Orr,
James Paradis
RELATED EVENTS
In addition to its annual conference, CWEST co-sponsors symposia and other events with area Civil War organizations, libraries, preservation groups, and universities. This year, CWEST co-sponsored two major conferences:
--The AMART (Association of Mid-Atlantic Civil War Round Tables) Conference, on “The History of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps: 'Shock Troops of the Union.’” Sept. 2007. Co-sponsored with the G.A.R. Civil War Museum & Library (Philadelphia) and Civil War History Consortium of Philadelphia
--The Atlantic
Emancipations Conference, 10-12 April 2008, organized by the Library Company
of Philadelphia and the McNeil Center for Early American Studies
CWEST also supports the following community service projects:
* Mercer Museum (Doylestown, PA) Bucks County History Project
* Fair Hill (Quaker) Burial Ground, http://www.fairhillburial.org/
* Civil War History
Consortium of Philadelphia
http://www.civilwarconsortium.org/
* AMART (Association of
Mid-Atlantic Civil War History Round Tables)
http://www.amartcivilwar.org/
* General Meade Society of Philadelphia http://www.generalmeadesociety.org/
* Grand Army of the Republic
(G.A.R.) Civil War Museum & Library
http://garmuslib.org/
* THE CIVIL WAR AND
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MUSEUM OF PHILADELPHIA
http://www.cwurmuseum.org/
* Historic Laurel Hill
Cemetery - 'Valhalla of Philadelphia'
http://www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org/
CWEST 2007-08 Activity Report
“Civil War & Emancipation Studies” at Temple (CWEST) is an interdisciplinary consortium of scholars and educators who seek to promote interest, dialogue, research and scholarship in the History of the Civil War Era and Emancipation and 19th Century American Studies. The co-directors of CWEST are:
Nilgun Anadolu-Okur, Ph.D. African-American Studies
Diane Turner, Ph.D. Curator, Blockson Collection
Gregory Urwin, Ph.D. Military History
Elizabeth Varon, Ph.D. History
Anthony Waskie, Ph.D. Languages
This year, CWEST sponsored its fifth annual Underground Railroad and Black History Conference, “Journeys of Discovery in 19th Century African American History.” The event took place on Feb. 22, 2008 at CHAT, and drew an audience of 50 students, scholars and community members. Featured speakers were Allison Dorsey of Swarthmore College, independent scholars Nat and Yanna Brandt, and Diane Turner of the Blockson Collection.
We also began organizing the sixth annual conference, for next year: "Heralds of Freedom: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the End of Slavery." This conference will mark the 150th anniversary of John Brown's Raid and 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Birth.
CWEST co-sponsored two other major events this academic year. The first was the September 22, 2007 AMART (Association of Mid-Atlantic Civil War Round Tables) conference on the “History of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps: 'Shock Troops of the Union'”; our co-sponsors included the G.A.R. Civil War Museum & Library (Philadelphia) and the Civil War History Consortium of Philadelphia.
This spring, we co-sponsored the Atlantic Emancipations Conference (10-12 April 2008) at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, U Penn, and the Library Company of Philadelphia.
Conference Description
The year 2008 marks the bicentennial of two important events in the history of slavery and freedom in the Atlantic World: the official end of the overseas slave trade in the United States (following the passage of statutes in the U.S. and Great Britain the previous year) and the maturation of Pennsylvania's gradual abolition law -- the world's first emancipation statute. These two events offer an exciting opportunity for reflection on the broader theme of black freedom struggles in the Atlantic world during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
In addition, Varon, Waskie and Urwin collaborated on the Mercer Museum (Doylestown, PA) Bucks County History Project, as advisors for a major exhibit the museum is planning for 2009.
* Fair Hill (Quaker) Burial
Ground:
Tours; clean up; research;
membership
http://www.fairhillburial.org/
* Civil War History
Consortium of Philadelphia:
membership; scholarship;
research; tours; preservation; events; seminars
http://www.civilwarconsortium.org/
*
AMART (Association of Mid-Atlantic Civil War History Round Tables)
a consortium of Civil War History related organizations and institutions joining
to present symposia, tours, presentations and ceremonies of a national interest,
to raise funds for historic preservation, to educate the public about History,
and honor outstanding individuals in the field. Past honorees include: Edwin C.
Bearss, James McPherson, et.al..
http://www.amartcivilwar.org/
* General Meade Society of Philadelphia:
The General Meade Society of Philadelphia, a non-profit organization, is
a history, information and education group whose mission is to promote and
preserve the memory of Union Major General George Gordon Meade, commander of the
Army of the Potomac and architect of the Union victory at Gettysburg. The
society was found by General Meade enthusiasts who gather annually on December
31st to celebrate the anniversary of the general's birth. The society currently
boasts hundreds of members throughout the country, all of whom share a common
interest in General Meade's multifaceted life and career.
Since its inception, the General Meade society has undertaken a number of worth
while activities in support of its mission to promote the distinguished general.
Among these are tours of Meade-related sites in Philadelphia; sponsoring
seminars with speakers on the theme of Gen. Meade's life, services and career;
adoption of the Meade Monument and HQ site at Gettysburg where we do clean ups
twice a year; a Scholarship drive for deserving students of the Gen. Meade
school in Philadelphia; a project to have a commemorative stamp issued for the
General and an annual birthday commemoration at his gravesite in Philadelphia's
historic Laurel Hill Cemetery.
http://www.generalmeadesociety.org/
* Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Civil War Museum &
Library:
The G.A.R. Museum is a non-profit, historical and
patriotic organization that actively seeks to
preserve the American heritage and
memorialize the history of the Civil War.
Located in the historic Ruan
House, the museum hosts scheduled
roundtables, programs and tours of its extensive collection of artifacts
and invites students and researchers to
utilize its documents, photos and 4,000-volume archive.
http://www.garmuslib.org/
* Historic
Laurel Hill Cemetery - 'Valhalla of Philadelphia'
http://www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org/
Research Projects
Octavius V. Catto - Black Hero of the Civil War & Civil Rights in 19th Century Philadelphia
General William Palmer - commander 15th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry of Civil War service; Medal of Honor recipient
Civil War Era Philadelphia
Mercer Museum (Doylestown, PA) Bucks
County History Project:
Prof. Varon; Prof. Urwin; Prof. Waskie (project advisors)
Award of Achievement in Civil War & Emancipation Studies
Awarded for distinguished efforts on behalf of the History of the Civil War & Emancipation Era and the mission of the Center for the Humanities at Temple to promote Scholarship and Dialogue in the History of the 19th Century in America
Past
Recipients:
2008
Nat Brandt
Yanna Kroyt Brandt
Allison Dorsey
Diane D. Turner
2007
Richard Newman
Erica
Armstrong Dunbar
Sarah Roth
Matthew Gallman
Carla L. Peterson
Jim Downs
Mia Bay
Margaret Bacon
Catherine Clinton
2006
Judy Giesberg
Murray Dubin
Dan Biddle
Millicent Sparks
Christopher Densmore
Fergus Bordewich
James McGowen
Craig Caba
David Orr
James Paradis
