FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2010
Contact: Dave Cheever, State Archivist, Tel: 207-446-5483
Alice Elliott, Goldfarb Center, Tel: 207-859-53413

A Nation Divided: The 1860 Election of Abraham Lincoln and its Lasting Consequences

Waterville, Maine - “A Nation Divided: The Election of Abraham Lincoln and its Lasting Consequences” will be the subject of a panel discussion on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, at 7 p.m., at the Ostrove Auditorium on the Colby College campus in Waterville.

The event is sponsored by the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, the Colby College History Department, and the Maine State Archives.

The panel discussion is one of the first events in Maine’s recognition of this important anniversary in our nation’s history. Over 3 million men fought in the war, and over 620,000 died during the five years of hostilities.

Fighting in the Civil War began 150 years ago in April, 1861, but the tensions that lead to the outbreak of war had been building for decades.

The discussion by Civil War scholars will feature Jonathan Earle, of the University of Kansas, who will speak of "Harpers Ferry and Impending Crisis: A Prologue to the Election of 1860.”

Joan Waugh, of the University of California Los Angeles, will provide a perspective on, "Republican Manifesto: Abraham Lincoln's Cooper Union Address."

Michael Vorenberg, of Brown University, will consider "The Politics of Citizenship: The Elections of 1860 and 2010 and the Presence of the Past.”

The event is free of charge.