National Archives Holds Program on Military Records June 24
Press Release · Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Heroes and Cowards: The Social Face of War

Washington, DC…On Tuesday, June 24 at 11:30 AM, the National Archives will host Heroes and Cowards: The Social Face of the War. The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Room G-24 of the National Archives Building, located on Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW (enter at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW).

Economic historians Dora Costa and Robert Fogel will discuss how they use military records from the National Archives in their ongoing research. Dora Costa will also discuss her forthcoming book, Heroes and Cowards: The Social Face of War, written with her husband, Matthew E. Kahn. Based on government documents and Civil War soldiers' journals, the book explores the role social capital plays in people's decisions. The book also examines the experience of African-American soldiers and makes important observations about how their comrades shaped their lives.

Dora L. Costa is Professor of Economics at MIT where she teaches economic history. She is also a research associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research's programs on the Development of the American Economy and on Aging and the co-director of the working group Cohort Studies. Professor Costa is coauthoring Heroes and Cowards: The Social Face of the War with her husband Matthew E. Kahn, a professor of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Robert W. Fogel, a Nobel laureate in economics, is an economic historian and scientist. Fogel serves on the faculty of the University of Chicago’s Economics Department and School of Business. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

For information on other National Archives records-related programs and workshops, see the Know Your Records web page.

The National Archives is fully accessible. To request an accommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) from the Know Your Records (KYR) program staff, please e-mail KYR@nara.gov or call 202-357-5333 two weeks prior to the event.

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For press information contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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