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Press Release
Press Release · Friday, December 29, 2000

Press Release
December 29, 2000
February Public Programs at the National Archives

Washington, DC . . . In February, the National Archives and Records Administration presents public programs covering a wide variety of topics including George Washington, State Capitals, the Civil War, and Black History Month.

The programs are free and open to the public and will take place at the National Archives Building, Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. The public may verify times and dates by calling the National Archives public events line at (202) 501-5000. TDD users may call (202) 501-5404.

Tuesday, February 6- George Washington/Etiquette
In commemoration of President's Day, Steven Selzer will discuss his book, By George! While researching the subject of civility, Selzer found that at the age of 14 George Washington had written 110 rules of civility and decent behavior. Although the guidelines are 250 years old, they are still pertinent in today's society. This book presents the rules with engaging and conversational commentary and describes how they can be applied in modern life. Noon and 7 P.M. Theater. Call 202-208-7345 for reservations.

Thursday, February 8- Photography/State Capitols
In The American Statehouse: Interpreting Democracy's Temples, Charles Goodsell examines the interplay of architecture and politics in all 50 state capitols. Using careful analysis and photographs of exteriors and interiors, he demonstrates how the architectural elements embody political values and ideas; influence how politicians, lobbyists, and the news media behave; and both awe and unite the citizenry. Noon. Theater. Call 202- 208-7345 for reservations.

Tuesday, February 20- Presidents of the United States
Frederick Voss, the National Portrait Gallery's senior historian, discusses his book, Portraits of the Presidents. An authoritative, engaging text by Voss illuminates the pictures, offering a concise history of each President and telling how each portrait came to be made. Included in this book are images of every American President, from Gilbert Stuart's famous depiction of George Washington to Elaine de Kooning's John F. Kennedy and Norman Rockwell's Richard Nixon, and concluding with Chuck Close's photographic portrait of Bill Clinton. Noon. Room 105. Call 202-208-7345 for reservations.

Thursday, February 21 - U.S. Civil War Court-Martial Records
Thomas Lowry will discuss three of his books that relate to his and his wife's research of court-martial records at the National Archives. In Don't Shoot That Boy! Abraham Lincoln and Military Justice, Lowry discusses documents written in Lincoln's own hand and the factors that tipped the balance one way or the other. In Tarnished Eagles: The Court-Martial of Fifty Union Colonels and Lieutenant Colonels and Tarnished Scalpels: The Court-Martials of Fifty Union Surgeons, he addresses the impact of placing volunteers under the command of Regular Army generals. The stories are humorous, tragic, profane, and picaresque-all are part of the constant struggle between the habits of the citizen and the demands on a soldier in a civil democracy at war. Cosponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Institute of the Mid-Atlantic. Noon. Theater. Call 202-208-7345 for reservations.

Thursday, February 22- African American History Month/Genealogy
Tony Burroughs will discuss Black Roots: A Beginners Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree. Burroughs, director of communication at GENTECH (Genealogy & Technology) is past president of the Afro-American Genealogical Society of Chicago and a genealogy instructor at Chicago State University. Noon. Room 105. Call 202-208-7345 for reservations.

Tuesday, February 27- African American History Month
Robert Goldman will discuss Reconstruction and Black Suffrage: Losing the Vote in Reese and Cruikshank. On Easter Sunday 1873, more than 100 black men were gunned down in Grant Parish, LA, for daring to assert their right to vote. Several months earlier, in Lexington, KY, a black man was denied the right to vote for failing to pay a poll tax. These events led to two landmark Supreme Court cases, U.S. v. Reese and U.S. v. Cruikshank, that denied the very existence of any such guarantee and, further, conferred upon the states the right to determine who may vote and under what circumstances. Goldman deftly highlights the cases within the context of an ongoing power struggle between state and Federal authorities and the realities of being black in postwar America. Focusing especially on the so-called Reconstruction Amendments and Enforcement Acts, he argues that the decisions in Reese and Cruikshank signaled an enormous gap between guaranteed and enforced rights. Noon. Room 105. Call 202-208-7345 for reservations.

For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail.

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