Open Tuesday-Saturday
In Atlanta's Historic Grant
Free with admission
Events
5/30/2013
6pm
Cyclorama Presents: Civil Summer Programming 2013 -
May,
Property: The Story of a Woman Slave Owner and Her Mulatta
Dr. Valerie Martin, Professor of English, Mount Holyoke College
Thursday, May 30, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Using an impending slave revolt as the backdrop for her seventh novel, Property, Valerie Martin tells the not-often-told story of a female slaver holder through narrator Manon Gaudet. Manon's husband owns a failing sugar plantation in 1828 Louisiana, and seems indifferent to his wife's physical and emotional needs. Instead, he finds pleasure feeding his perverse appetites: hunting animals and runaway slaves and violating Sarah, Manon's mulatta slave. As the story unfolds the reader becomes immersed quickly not only in the details of the impending revolt, but also with the ironies and contradictions of ownership and subjugation; power and powerlessness; and the realities of two women destined to share a brutish man, one reluctantly the other against her will. During the lecture, Dr. Martin will read from her book and talk about the journey on which she embarked to write it. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
June
Sam Richard's Civil War Diary: A Firsthand Account of Civil War-era Atlanta
Dr. Wendy Hamand Venet, Professor of History, Georgia State University
Thursday, June 13, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
A Unionist until 1860, Atlanta bookseller Sam Richards shifted his loyalties but, as a man of deep faith, he remained conflicted about the Confederacy and many of the restrictions placed on him and his contemporaries as a result of the war efforts. In his diary, Mr. Richards not only gives startling details of the Union bombardment of Atlanta, but also he describes the evacuation of the city, the looting of his store and the infiltration of the city by Union soldiers. Mr. Richard's diary is most insightful, perhaps, in that it provides a rare look into Civil War-era Atlanta-race relations, religious practices, health and disease, food shortages and a host of other social concerns often left untouched by scholarly texts. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Freedom: Georgia's Critical Role in the African American Quest for Equality since 1733
Michael Thurmond, Esg., Former Labor Commissioner for State of Georgia & Author
Thursday, June 20, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Former Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond argues that since the state's founding, Georgia has been central in the debate of freedom and equality for African Americans. From its origins as an anti-slavery state settled by General James Olgethorpe in the early 1730's, to the modern Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Georgia has served both as a source of controversy and as a beacon of hope for African Americans in their struggle for equality. In his informative and engaging lecture, Mr. Thurmond will talk about his book, Freedom, the research that led to its writing, and share widely unknown facts about Georgia's history.
June (cont.)
What the Yankees Did to Us: Sherman's Bombardment and Wrecking of Atlanta
Stephen Davis, Ph.D., Author & Independent Scholar
Thursday, June 27, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
For the more than one hundred years since it occurrence, the burning of Atlanta has taken firmer root in myth than in reality. In his eye-opening and sobering tome, What the Yankees Did to Us, Dr. Stephen Davis takes the reader on a fact-based journey into one of Atlanta's pivotal historical moments. Using re-examined original documents, Dr. Davis sheds a brighter light on what really happened during the two and a half-month Federal occupation of Atlanta from July of 1864 through September of that same year. The destruction to Atlanta that resulted from the burning has left deep psychological wounds. Dr. Davis's research helps the reader better appreciate the bigger picture, and places into context an event that continues to inform Atlanta history and social culture today. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
July
African American Faces of the Civil War: An Album
Ronald S. Coddington, Assistant Managing Editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Thursday, July 11, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
For many, the film Glory was the first introduction to the presence of African American men in the Civil War. And while much of Glory is not based on historical fact, African American men not only fought in the Civil War and used it as a means to secure their own freedom, but also they played more diverse roles in the war than most realize. In his book, African American Faces of the Civil War, Ronald Coddington uses archival images, military records and personal files to tell the stories of men whose voices too long have been silenced and whose contributions to the war effort have been left out of traditional Civil War scholarship. Poignant in its simplicity and humanity, Coddington's book forces us to rethink not only slavery and the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation, but also it forces us to rethink what it took to save the Union. Reception with author will precede the lecture. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Tickets: Adults $10, Seniors $8, Children (4-12) $8
High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America
Jessica B. Harris, Author
Saturday, July 20, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Soul food, long known to be a staple of the African American diet is, alternately, harshly criticized and fiercely guarded. In her groundbreaking book, High on the Hog, Jessica Harris traces the history of soul food from its roots in traditional West African foodways and the swill fed to enslaved Africans during The Middle Passage to plantation kitchens and haute cuisine restaurants in New York and New Orleans. Ms. Harris argues that her main topic is the Africanizing of the Southern palate and, by extension, of the American one. While understanding current health trends, Ms. Harris laments that Black cuisine often is seen as unhealthy and inelegant. She believes that one day the true food of Africa will have its place at the foodie table. Join Ms. Harris as she takes the audience on a culinary journey unlike any other. Reception with author will precede the lecture. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Tickets: Adults $10, Seniors $8, Children (4-12) $8
July (cont.)
Understanding the Civil War: A Family Program
Saturday, July 20, 2012, 11:00 - 4:00
Spend a family day at Cyclorama learning in fun, hands-on ways about the Civil War. storytellers, Civil War re-enactors, singers and dancers will keep you entertained and learning about the Civil War through engaging, interactive, and hands-on activities. Civil War educators will teach young people and their families the games and pastimes of the era; while face painters will help visitors express themselves. The program is free with admission to the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum.
Tickets: Adults $10, Seniors $8, Children (4-12) $8
August
America's Divided Kingdom: The Jewish Experience of the Civil War
Film screening of Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray
with Jonathan Gruber, Film Director, Producer and Writer
Thursday, August 8, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Civil War scholarship often overlooks the roles Jews played in efforts to preserve both the Union and the Confederacy. In, Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray, a first-of-its-kind film by Jonathan Gruber, we learn of the struggles American Jews faced both on the battlefield and at home during this nation's deadliest war. The history of the roles Jews played in the Civil War is fascinating, and Mr. Gruber's film reveals information about this history that will change forever how the viewer understands the Civil War. This program is the first of a two-part series created by and presented in partnership with The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum. Reception with filmmaker will precede the screening.
Tickets: Adults $10, Seniors $8, Children (4-12) $8, Breman Members $8
All the Daring of the Soldier: Women and the American Civil War
Dr. Elizabeth D. Leonard, Professor of History, Colby College
Thursday, August 22, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
Conventional wisdom tells us that the role women played during the Civil War was that they patiently waited to eagerly tend to the physical and psychological needs of their husbands, brothers and fathers as they returned home from war. This notion, while true for some women, was not the reality for many. In her book, All the Daring of the Soldier, Elizabeth Leonard debunks the myth that women, African American and white, did not contribute directly to the war effort. Like their male counterparts, these women sacrificed family life and risked their lives for the Confederacy and Union alike. Not only were they nurses, but many fought in battle and served as spies. Moreover, many women, like the men besides them, just wanted the thrill and adventure war offered. Join Dr. Leonard as she talks about these women and shines a light on one of the Civil War's best kept secrets. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
