2020
Civil War Historical Memory
Statues, Monuments, and Memorials: Build Them Up or Tear Them Down?
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Join HistoryMiami Museum for an in-depth look at how the Civil War is remembered in public history and made visible through public monuments. Hear historical insights from nationally recognized scholars about the role of collective memory in our national story. Learn how time has shaped what is memorialized and the contemporary response to ‘redemption’ in the South through the re-crafting of the narrative of the era of slavery.
Featuring an introduction by Harold Holzer, winner of the 2015 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, is one of the country’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. A prolific writer and lecturer, and frequent guest on television, Holzer served for six years (2010–2016) as Chairman of The Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. For the previous 10 years he co-chaired the U. S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC), appointed by President Clinton. President Bush awarded Holzer the National Humanities Medal in 2008. He has hosted 10 Civil War events at HistoryMiami. Holzer, who now serves as The Jonathan F. Fanton Director of Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, has authored, co-authored or edited 53 books.
Panelists:
Dr. Karen Cox, is Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the founding director of the graduate public history program. She is the author of three books, the editor or co-editor of two volumes of southern history, and she has written numerous essays and articles about southern history and culture. Her first book, Dixie’s Daughters: The United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Preservation of Confederate Culture, won the 2004 Julia Cherry Spruill Prize from the Southern Association for Women Historians for the Best Book in Southern Women’s History. Dr. Cox has written op-eds for the New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, TIME magazine, Publishers Weekly, and the Huffington Post. Her expertise on the American South has led to interviews with numerous news outlets. Her latest achievement includes a contract with UNC Press to write the definitive history of Confederate monuments & the persistent battles over their removal.
Dr. Donald Spivey, Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Miami. His field is late nineteenth- and twentieth-century America, with specialization in African-American history, sport, labor, music, and education. Spivey has author numerous book publications and scholarly articles. He was recipient of the Robert Peterson Recognition Award for his book, “If You Were Only White”: The Life of Leroy “Satchel” Paige. Professor Spivey has lectured throughout the country and been a frequent commentator on radio, television, and in the print medium.
Hon. Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, is a noted Abraham Lincoln scholar and author, and one of the nation’s leading experts on Lincoln, as well as one of its major Lincoln collectors. Two years ago, he donated his holdings to Mississippi State University. The author, co-author, or editor of a dozen books, including Judging Lincoln and the recent volumes The Mary Lincoln Enigma and Lincoln as Hero, Williams also served as founding chairman of The Lincoln Forum (he is now Chairman Emeritus) and President of the Ulysses S. Grant Association.
Moderator: Mr. Harold Holzer
The Presidential Symposium is presented with the support of Jean and Bill Soman, David Lawrence Jr. The Children’s Movement of Florida, and Julie and Michael Weiser.
2019
10th Annual Presidential Symposium
Presidential Power and Immigration Policy: America’s Uncivil War — From Lincoln to Today
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Executive actions on immigration go hand-hand with our country’s history. Through time, Presidents have used their discretionary enforcement powers to make policies that go beyond the regular immigration laws. Join HistoryMiami Museum for an all-star panel discussion on Presidential Power and Immigration Policy. Enjoy historical insights from nationally recognized experts on this topic.
Featuring an introduction by Harold Holzer, winner of the 2015 Gilder-Lehrman Lincoln Prize, is one of the country’s leading authorities on Abraham Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. A prolific writer and lecturer, and frequent guest on television, Holzer served for six years (2010–2016) as Chairman of The Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation. For the previous 10 years he co-chaired the U. S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC), appointed by President Clinton. President Bush awarded Holzer the National Humanities Medal in 2008; and in 2013, Holzer wrote an essay on Lincoln for the official program at the re-inauguration of President Barack Obama.
Holzer, who now serves as The Jonathan F. Fanton Director of Hunter College’s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, has authored, co-authored or edited 52 books. His latest major book, Lincoln and the Power of the Press: The War for Public Opinion, won the Lincoln Prize, as well as The Mark Lynton History Prize from the Columbia University School of Journalism, The Hazel-Dicken Garcia Award, and the 2016 Goldsmith Book Prize from the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Panelists:
Maria A. Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Florida Immigration Coalition. She has co-founded or helped establish half a dozen award-winning organizations, including a free medical clinic, a housing cooperative, an arts & therapy group and an electoral entity, which are all thriving today. From foreign policy advocacy on Southern Africa and Central America, to domestic organizing for quality housing and healthcare at home, Maria brings principled and effective leadership that yields concrete results. She grew up in Puerto Rico in a multi-cultural family and is a graduate of Georgetown University.
Dr. Tracy Devine Guzmán, Associate Professor of Latin American Studies and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Miami. She holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia; an M.A. from the College of William and Mary; and a Ph.D. from Duke University. Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of intellectual and cultural history, social and political theory, philosophy, and cultural production. Dr. Guzmán has engaged in research and political advocacy in the Americas for two decades. She has won individual and institutional grants from the Ford Foundation, the Tinker Foundation, FLAS, FIPSE/ CAPES, the Fulbright Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Dr. Alex Stepick, Emeritus Professor of Global and Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University and Professor of Sociology at Portland State University. He has written eight books and over 50 articles on the impact of immigrants on the U.S., focusing primarily on Miami. The American Anthropological Association and the Society for Applied Anthropology awarded him the Margaret Mead Award for his work with Haitian refugees. His law review article on U.S. refugee and asylum law is used as a definitive reference in classrooms at major law schools throughout the U.S. He was a Fulbright Fellow twice and has received grants from all the major scientific research institutions, including the then largest grant ever in Cultural Anthropology from the National Science Foundation.
Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, a notable Abraham Lincoln scholar and author, and one of the nation’s leading experts on Lincoln, as well as one of its major Lincolnian collectors. The author, co-author, or editor of a dozen books, including Judging Lincoln and the recent volumes The Mary Lincoln Enigma and Lincoln as Hero. Williams also serves as founding chairman of The Lincoln Forum and President of the Ulysses S. Grant Association.
Moderator: Harold Holzer
The Presidential Symposium is presented with the support of Jean and Bill Soman, David Lawrence Jr. The Children’s Movement of Florida, Julie and Michael Weiser and The Lincoln Forum.
2018
9th Annual Presidential Symposium
Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt: LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Conversation: Leadership in Crisis: The Parallel Legacies of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D Roosevelt.
Join Harold Holzer and Craig L. Symonds for a historical conversation exploring crucial parallels, distinct differences, and above all timeless leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Panel Discussion: The Law at War: Military Justice and Justice in The Civil War and World War II.
PANELISTS: Dr. Craig Symonds, Lincoln Prize-winning Civil War naval historian who taught at the U.S. Naval Academy for 30 years. His most current work involves substantial research on World War II. Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs, Assistant Professor of History, Florida Memorial University. Harold Holzer, Jonathan F. Fanton Director, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Lincoln Prize winning historian, and recipient of the National Humanities Medal.
MODERATOR: Chief Justice Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, a notable Abraham Lincoln scholar and author, and founding Chairman of the Lincoln Forum.
The Presidential Symposium is presented with the support of Jean and Bill Soman, David Lawrence Jr. The Children’s Movement of Florida, Julie and Michael Weiser and The Lincoln Forum.
2017
8th Annual Presidential Symposium
LINCOLN, THE CIVIL WAR, AND RECONSTRUCTION
Saturday, January 22, 2017
Reconstruction—“America’s Unfinished Revolution”—began 150 years ago, and remains one of the most controversial and passionately debated periods in our history. These, and other hotly contested—and still-relevant-issues will be explored and debated.
Introduction: Lincoln and Reconstruction, by Harold Holzer, Jonathan F. Fanton Director, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Lincoln Prize-winning historian, and recipient of the National Humanities Medal.
Keynote lecture
The Significance of Reconstruction in American History by Eric Foner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University
Panel Discussion: Reconstruction: What Went Right, What Went Wrong?
Panelists: Dr. Alexandra Cornelius, Professor of History at Florida International University and an expert on 19th-century “racial science,” Hon. Frank J. Williams, author, nationally known lecturer, and founding Chairman of the Lincoln Forum.
Moderator: Harold Holzer.
The Presidential Symposium is presented with the support of Jean and Bill Soman and David Lawrence Jr., Chairman of The Children’s Movement of Florida.
2016
7th Annual Presidential Symposium
Symposium: Abraham LINCOLN AND IMMIGRATION
January 24, 2016
Join HistoryMiami and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation (ALBF) for an all-star symposium on Abraham Lincoln and immigration. Enjoy historical insights from nationally recognized scholars on this topic.
Featuring a keynote lecture LINCOLN, THE PRESS, AND NEW AMERICANS by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer, Jonathan F. Fanton Director for the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College and award winning author of Lincoln and the Power of the Press.
Following the reception: panel discussion and audience conversation about Lincoln, immigration, and the meaning of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
Moderator: Frank J. Williams, retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island
Dr. Edna Greene Medford, Professor of History at Howard University and author of Lincoln and Emancipation
Dr. Michael Bernath, Charlton W. Tebeau Associate Professor at the University of Miami
Presented with the support of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation and Jean Powers Soman.
2015
6th Annual Presidential Symposium
THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION AND THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR
A 150th Anniversary Symposium.
January 25, 2015
Join HistoryMiami and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation (ALBF) for an all-star 150th anniversary symposium on Abraham Lincoln’s death and the return of peace to the divided American Union. Enjoy historical insights from nationally recognized scholars on the meaning—and limits—of sectional reconciliation in 1865, plus a special guest appearance by actor Stephen Lang.
Featuring an introduction by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer, Chairman of the ALBF, and a keynote by historian William C. Davis (author of the new book Crucible of Command) on Grant and Lee and the end of the Civil War.
Following the keynote, a discussion led by ALBF scholars:
Panel: What if Lincoln Had Lived?
Harold Holzer, Moderator, author of Lincoln and the Power of the Press
Darrel Bigham, author of On Jordan’s Banks: Emancipation and Its Aftermath…
Orville Vernon Burton, author of The Age of Lincoln
Thomas Campbell, author of Fighting Slavery in Chicago
Edna Greene Medford, author of Lincoln and Emancipation
Frank J. Williams, author of Lincoln as Hero
**Special guest performance by award-winning actor Stephen Lang (Gods and Generals, Avatar) portraying Gettysburg Medal of Honor winner James Jackson Purman.
Presented with the support of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation and Jean and William Soman.
2014
5th Annual Presidential Symposium
Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution
January 25th, 2014
Join HistoryMiami and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation (ALBF) for a symposium on Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Constitution. Enjoy historical perspectives by local and national scholars regarding some of the most relevant aspects of this topic. With an introduction by Harold Holzer, Chair of the ALBF, and keynote by Professor James M. McPherson, Princeton University Emeritus
Panel Discussion:
Chief Justice (Ret.) Frank J. Williams, member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation Board, and retired Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Thomas Campbell, Treasurer of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, is senior counsel in the Chicago office of Baker & McKenzie LLP.
Noah Weisbord, Associate Professor of Law at Florida International University College of Law. Ediberto Román, Professor of Law, at Florida International University College of Law.
Presented with the support of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation and Jean and William Soman, and FIU College of Law.
2013
4th Annual Presidential Symposium
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation presents: 1863 The Civil War and the Fight for Freedom
January 26th, 2013
Keynote address
“Concepts of Freedom and War: by Abraham Lincoln and Stonewall Jackson” presented by James I. Robertson Jr., noted Civil War scholar, professor of history at Virginia Tech. Q&A moderated by Antonio Mora, anchor for CBS4 and ALBF Board Member.
Panel Discussion:
“The Emancipation Proclamation at 150: The Story of Freedom in the Steven Spielberg Era moderated by Harold Holzer, Chairman, the Abraham Lincoln Foundation.
Panelists:
Orville Vernon Burton – professor of history at Clement University and author of The Age of Lincoln.
Edna Green Medford – chair of the history department and Howard University in Washington.
Frank J. Williams – retired Chief of Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Thomas Campbell – ALBF Treasurer, author of Fighting Slavery in Chicago: Abolitionist the Law of Slavery and Lincoln.
Presented with the support of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation and Jean and William Soman.
2012
3rd Annual Presidential Symposium
Abraham Lincoln and Florida
Featuring a one-day display of the Norman and Irma Braman Collection.
January 22, 2012
Principal Speakers
Edna Green Medford – chair of the history department and Howard University in Washington
Craig L. Symonds – Class of ’57 Distinguish Professor of American History at the US Naval Academy and winner of the Lincoln prize
Panelists
Harold Holzer – moderator, chairman, the Abraham Lincoln Foundation
Darrel Bigman – professor of history emeritus at the University of Southern Indiana
Orville Vernon Burton – professor of history at Clement University and author of The Age of Lincoln
Stephen D. Engle – professor of history and director of the History Symposium series and Florida Atlantic University
Frank J. Williams – retired Chief of Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court
Presented with the support of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation and Jean and William Soman.
