MADISON — The Friends of the Madison Public Library are excited to introduce two new mini-courses for the Winter 2024 semester, commencing on Monday, January 29, and Wednesday, January 31.
These courses will explore the U.S. Civil War and the evolution of American art from the American Revolution to the Civil War. All sessions will be conducted in person over five consecutive weeks at the Florham Park Public Library, located at 107 Ridgedale Avenue, Florham Park. This arrangement is in response to ongoing renovations at the Madison Public Library.
Each mini-course is priced at $95.00 and is organized by the all-volunteer Friends of the Madison Public Library, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. All proceeds from these courses will directly benefit the Madison Public Library.
“The United States Civil War” will be led by Gary Darden, an associate professor of history and chair of the Department of Social Sciences and History at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The classes will take place on Monday afternoons from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on January 29 and February 5, 12, 19, and 26.
The lectures will delve into the significance of the Civil War in American history, tracing its origins in the practice of slavery, which was a common institution from colonial times to the first 87 years of the American republic. The period of 1860-1865 marked the most violent conflict in U.S. history, redefining democracy, citizenship, and earning the title of the “Second American Revolution” for its pivotal role in abolishing slavery and reshaping the nation.
The five lectures in this course include:
- “Original Sin: American Slavery from the Age of Compromise to the Age of Crisis: 1776-1859”
- “Ballots to Bullets: the 1860 Election to the Secession of 1860-1861”
- “Presidents & Generals: Strategies for Confederate Victory & Strategies for Union Victory”
- “Blood & Redemption in 1862: Antietam & Emancipation / Altars of Sacrifice in 1863: Gettysburg, Vicksburg & New York City”
- “The Long View of Union Victory in 1865: the Civil War as the Second American Revolution”
The second mini-course, titled “Art in the United States from the American Revolution to the Civil War,” will be instructed by Kimberly Rhodes, the National Endowment for the Humanities Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities and a professor of art history at Drew University.
Classes will be held Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m, on January 31, February 7, 14, 21 and 28.
The series will cover the development of the visual arts in the United States from colonial times to the 1860s.
Topics will include the discussion of exchanges between European and American artists, the education of American artists in Europe and the United States, the relationship between political events and visual culture and the creation of professional institutions. Artists under discussion will include John Singleton Copley, Benjamin West, John Trumbull, Charles Willson Peale, Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church and Winslow Homer.
These non-credit courses are open to the public with no prerequisites or examinations.
For more information, or to register, click here. Residents may also email minicoursesmadisonlibrary@gmail.com or leave a message at (929) 450-7940.
Participants will be notified by email in the event of a cancellation due to inclement weather.
