The Lincoln Assassination and the End of the Civil War

Whether you’re a Civil War buff or get all your learnin’ from Drunk History, HistoryMiami keeps churning out lively events that tempt locals to dive into the past. For the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s death, HistoryMiami and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation are holding an all-star symposium, “The Lincoln Assassination and the End of the Civil War,” featuring historical insights from nationally recognized scholars on the meaning and limits of sectional reconciliation in 1865. The symposium will feature a keynote address by historian William C. Davis (author of the new book Crucible of Command) on Grant and Lee and the end of the Civil War. A panel discussion, “What if Lincoln Had Lived?,” moderated by Harold Holzer, author of Lincoln and the Power of the Press, will follow the address. Panelists will include Darrel Bigham, author of On Jordan’s Banks: Emancipation and Its Aftermath in the Ohio River Valley; 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; and Frank J. Williams, author of Lincoln as Hero. The evening will also include a special performance by award-winning actor Stephen Lang (Gods and Generals, Avatar), portraying Gettysburg Medal of Honor winner James Jackson Purman. The symposium begins Sunday at 1 p.m. in HistoryMiami’s main auditorium (101 W. Flagler St., Miami). A reception follows at 4 p.m. Admission is free. RSVP online at historymiami.wufoo.com/forms/lincoln-symposium. Call 305-375-1492 or visit historymiami.org.
Sun., Jan. 25, 1 p.m., 2015