John Hope Franklin: Appears at congressional seminar sponsored by History Center
Over the past few months, the National History Center has been gathering additional momentum, launching new programs while continuing older ones, thanks to two new developments. The first is the appointment of Miriam E. Hauss as administrative officer to manage the growing day-to-day work of the center. The second is the recruitment of Robert Berendt, an experienced consultant, to help draw up a strategic plan for the center, an essential step that has now been facilitated by grants from David Rockefeller, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Gilder-Lehrman Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Among the ongoing programs is the congressional seminar series, designed to provide a historical perspective on current issues especially for the benefit of members of Congress and their staffs. The latest of these was held on March 13, 2006, and was devoted to a discussion on the theme, “Revisiting Race and Reconstruction.” The seminar, held at the Senate Russell Building in Washington D.C., was attended by an overflow audience and featured John Hope Franklin, the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at Duke University, and Eric Foner, the Dewitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University. Foner, author of several books on Reconstruction, pointed out that the federal government as we know it today was shaped by the Civil War and Reconstruction, which both imposed new burdens on the government. Franklin took a longer view, arguing the significance of the contradictions in the earliest institutions of the federal government. Both Foner and Franklin responded to many questions from the audience following their presentations, referring to the lasting impact of the events and developments of the 1860s on race relations in America today. Lonnie Bunch, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, moderated the seminar....
Read entire article at AHA Perspectives (May 2006)
Among the ongoing programs is the congressional seminar series, designed to provide a historical perspective on current issues especially for the benefit of members of Congress and their staffs. The latest of these was held on March 13, 2006, and was devoted to a discussion on the theme, “Revisiting Race and Reconstruction.” The seminar, held at the Senate Russell Building in Washington D.C., was attended by an overflow audience and featured John Hope Franklin, the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus at Duke University, and Eric Foner, the Dewitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University. Foner, author of several books on Reconstruction, pointed out that the federal government as we know it today was shaped by the Civil War and Reconstruction, which both imposed new burdens on the government. Franklin took a longer view, arguing the significance of the contradictions in the earliest institutions of the federal government. Both Foner and Franklin responded to many questions from the audience following their presentations, referring to the lasting impact of the events and developments of the 1860s on race relations in America today. Lonnie Bunch, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, moderated the seminar....