Traveling exhibition explores Abraham Lincoln’s struggle to meet the constitutional challenges of the Civil War
HARRISBURG, Pa. – “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,” a traveling exhibition opening at the McCormick Library of HACC’s Harrisburg Campus, examines how President Abraham Lincoln used the Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the Civil War – the secession of Southern states, slavery and wartime civil liberties.
The exhibit will be on display at the library located at One HACC Drive beginning Thursday, Feb. 6 through Friday, March 21, 2014.
The traveling exhibition is composed of informative panels featuring photographic reproductions of original documents, including a draft of Lincoln’s first inaugural speech, the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.
“The exhibit provides an opportunity for HACC and the community to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and explore the history of Lincoln from an unusual perspective,” said Marietta Carr, library circulation technician. “Visitors will experience familiar stories in new ways as living historians bring people like Harriet Tubman back to life, and hear stirring accounts of Civil War heroes with ties to the region.”
The library is sponsoring free programs and other events for the public in connection with the exhibition.
- Friday, Feb. 7, at 4 p.m. – Opening reception at the McCormick Library
- Monday, Feb. 10, at noon – 3rd Regiment United States Colored Troops Reenactors in Cooper Student Center, Room 107
- Thursday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. – Presentation on Private Samuel Schwalm at the McCormick Library
- Friday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. – Homegrown Heroes: Pennsylvania Communities in the Civil War at Midtown 2, Room 206
- Monday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. – Harriet Tubman Living History Experience in Cooper Student Center, Room 204
- Thursday, March 6, at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. – Meet Mr. Lincoln at the McCormick Library
- Friday, March 7, at 7 p.m. – Civil War Ball in Cooper Student Center, Room 107
- Wednesday, March 19, at 2 p.m. – Nursing in a Civil War Field Hospital in Cooper Student Center, Room 107
The National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office organized the traveling exhibition, which was made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): great ideas brought to life. The traveling exhibition is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.
For more information, contact Marietta Carr at 717-780-2467 or mrcarr@hacc.edu.
About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, offers nearly 200 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to more than 20,000 students at five campuses in Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York and through virtual learning. In addition, HACC serves more than 29,000 students in noncredit workforce development, public safety, adult basic education and continuing education programs offered at all campuses and off-site locations in many communities in Central Pennsylvania. For more information about what HACC has to offer, visit www.hacc.edu.