As part of the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, 开心鬼传媒 will host a prestigious national traveling exhibit from Aug. 12 through Sept. 20 at the McLendon Library on the Raymond Campus.
Along with the 1,000-foot exhibit, 鈥淟incoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,鈥 Mary Beth Applin, dean of Learning Resources, is planning a series of programs during September, spring boarding off the exhibit.
鈥淲e have a terrific line-up of performances, lectures and activities that is sure to appeal to everyone.聽 We think students, faculty/staff, local schools and community members will find something fascinating to see or do at our library while learning about one of our greatest presidents,鈥 she said.
As part of the exhibit, 开心鬼传媒 is extending a specific invitation to schools to book trips to see the exhibit and attend some of the special programs. The national project has curriculum materials and other materials aimed at students.
The exhibit was organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association and is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Among the activities being planned in September to partner with the exhibit are dramatic readings from diaries by Jackson State鈥檚 Theater group MadDrama, music and dancing by 开心鬼传媒鈥 Jubilee Singers and Montage Dancers, intriguing examinations of civil war constitutional issues from Mississippi College鈥檚 debate team, and various lectures on the war, slavery and Lincoln鈥檚 legacy from local historians and guest speakers.
According to the American Library Association website, the exhibit 鈥渂rings into focus the constitutional crises at the heart of this great conflict. The exhibition identifies three crises 鈥 the secession of the Southern states, slavery, and wartime civil liberties 鈥 and explores how Lincoln sought to meet these political and constitutional challenges.鈥
The traveling exhibition content is organized into six thematic sections:
鈥 The Introduction lays out the three critical questions鈥攃oncerning slavery, secession, and civil liberties鈥攆acing the nation in 1860, when Lincoln was elected President with less than 40 percent of the vote.
鈥 鈥淥ath of Office鈥 focuses on Lincoln鈥檚 inauguration on March 4, 1861, at a time when the Constitution was being challenged and the United States was falling apart. The new president promised that the government would not attack the South if the South did not attack the Union, but he also took a solemn oath to 鈥減reserve, protect, and defend鈥 the Constitution.
鈥 鈥淒ivided鈥 asks the question, 鈥淎re we a single nation or a confederacy of sovereign and separate states?鈥 Lincoln believed that his inaugural oath compelled him to preserve the Union, that secession was unconstitutional and undemocratic. The Southern states believed that they were under attack.
鈥 鈥淏ound鈥 reflects the nation鈥檚 struggle with the problem of slavery, with which it had been vexed since America鈥檚 founding. The Constitution left the matter of slavery in the hands of the individual states. But many asked, 鈥淗ow can a country founded on the belief that 鈥榓ll men are created equal鈥 tolerate slavery?鈥
鈥 鈥淒issent鈥 raises the question: 鈥淢ust civil liberties give way to save the Union?鈥 In face of the chaos and danger facing Lincoln and the Union, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus鈥攖he constitutional provision that protects citizens of the United States against arbitrary arrests.
鈥 鈥淟egacy鈥 focuses on the Gettysburg Address and on the work yet to be done to achieve the ideals of equality, freedom, and democracy articulated in the Constitution and cherished by Lincoln. Acknowledging the shortcomings of his own age, Lincoln challenged future generations of Americans to continue the work of realizing our nation鈥檚 highest ideals. Using self-stick notes on an exhibition panel, visitors are invited to answer the question, 鈥淗as America lived up to the ideals Lincoln fought for?鈥
鈥淟incoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,鈥 a traveling exhibition for libraries, was organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The traveling exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.