“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
Abraham Lincoln
Gettysburg Address
On November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln challenged us to be dedicated to the “unfinished work” of the Civil War. This year, you can explore the relationship between the Underground Railroad and the Civil War during Live and Learn weekends in cities across Pennsylvania.
Gettysburg Address
Your weekend will center on the “Unfinished Work” Book Discussion Series. On Friday evening, a scholar will introduce the weekend’s featured book and lead a discussion. On Saturday, the scholar will lead a tour of Underground Railroad and Civil War sites and then relate the books to the sites visited.
These weekends are a chance to explore the themes of slavery and freedom, women and the war, communities under siege, and memory and commemoration. Each weekend features great room rates, heritage tours, museum exhibits, reenactments, and restaurant outings.
For more information in each location:
Philadelphia – Contact Almaz D. Kinder at almaz@gptmc.com.
Pittsburgh – Contact Terri Blanchette at tsblanchette@hswp.org or (412) 454-6411.
Lancaster County – Contact the Lancaster County Historical Society at (717) 392-4633.
Here are the books that will be discussed in each location in 2008.
June 20-21
Forever Free by Eric Foner
The leading historian on America's Reconstruction provides a stirring look at the powerful struggle of African Americans' to establish freedom for themselves in America and the effects of this movement on real people.
Lancaster—Friday, June 20th - The weekend’s events begin at 6:00 p.m. with an evening reception and presentation at the Lancaster County Historical Society, exploring Foner’s book Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction. Dr. Louise Stevenson, professor of history and American studies at Franklin and Marshall College, will discuss the historic context of the book.
Lancaster—Saturday, June 21st - Guests are invited to join us in downtown Lancaster for Crispus Attucks Community Center’s Juneteenth Heritage Celebration, and a 1 p.m. theatrical presentation at Lancaster’s Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church “Living The Experience.”
For lodging reservations, call 1-800-665-8780 and ask for our Quest for Freedom Live and Learn Weekend package.
To register, contact Alice Sanders at asanders@padutchcountry.com or call 717-917-6917.
Pittsburgh—Friday, June 20th - The Washington County Historical Society and Washington & Jefferson College hosts prominent African American soldier and known Pittsburgh abolitionist, Martin R. Delany, and fellow abolitionist Mary Peck Bond in Washington, PA. Dr. Delany and Ms. Bond will be joined by Dr. Katherine Ayres, lecturer in English/Writing and coordinator of the Writing for Children and Adolescents Program at Chatham University. Dr. Ayres will discuss the historic context of Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction. The program begins at 6 p.m., with registration starting at 5:30 p.m. The first 30 registered participants will receive a free copy of Forever Free at registration.
Pittsburgh—Saturday, June 21st - Continue to explore the experiences of freedom-seekers and abolitionists alike through an open discussion of the Foner book at Washington & Jefferson College, from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., immediately followed by a special guided tour of The LeMoyne House—Pennsylvania’s first National Historic Landmark for the Underground Railroad.
For more information on a weekend getaway to Pittsburgh, including the Live and Learn programming and hotel accommodations, go to www.visitpittsburgh.com.
To register, contact Senator John Heinz History Center Community Programs Director Terri Blanchette at tsblanchette@hswp.org or 412-454-6411.
August 15-16
Lincoln on Democracy edited by Mario Cuomo and Harold Holzer
Selection of letters and speeches (Lincoln’s own words), edited by two individuals who are scheduled to co-host a nationally televised debate in October 2008 between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, with reference to the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1860.
