Upcoming exhibitions
The Portent: John Brown's Raid in American Memory
October 10, 2009–April 11, 2010
As a major part of the national acknowledgement of the 150th anniversary of John Brown's raid on the Federal Armory
at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, the Virginia Historical Society presents The Portent: John Brown's Raid in American Memory.
This exhibition is the first-ever critical analysis by a southern institution of an episode that, on the eve of the Civil War,
broke open sectionalist fissures. Brown demanded that his contemporaries take a moral stance on slavery, and to this
day a mention of his attack spurs debate about issues of justice, terrorism, liberation, and vigilantism. The story of
Brown’s early life, his fervent religious beliefs, his turn to violence as an abolitionist in Kansas, and his Virginia raid
and its aftermath will be told in the exhibition. Contemporary reactions to the raid and to the trial and execution of
John Brown will also be discussed, and visitors will see a display of objects and books related to John Brown's raid.
What's related:
• Banner Lecture | Gallery walks
The John Marshall High School Corps of Cadets
October 24, 2009–April 11, 2010
This exhibition will explore the history of military training as part of the public education system, focusing specifically on the John Marshall High School military training course created in September 1915. The John Marshall program, patterned after the Virginia Military Institute, had more than 8,000 teenage boy members between 1915 and its discontinuation in 1971. Many boys joined the corps because they were interested in military service or careers. Corps members served from private to major general and from seaman to vice admiral. Among its members were U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Jr., a congressman, and many business and civic leaders. The Corps band, which marched in Herbert Hoover's and Dwight Eisenhower's inaugural parades in 1929 and 1953 respectively, will also be explored in the exhibition through artifacts donated to the Virginia Historical Society by Corps members.
What's related:
• Gallery walk
An American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia
February 4–December 30, 2011
From 1861 to 1865 Virginia stood at the center of a military and social revolution. How we define freedom, liberty, patriotism, and nation today is directly related to the diverse experiences of the individuals who participated in the Civil War. Using original objects, interactive technology, and state-of-the-art audiovisual programs, An American Turning Point: The Civil War in Virginia relates the personal experiences of the free and enslaved men, women, and children of wartime Virginia. Visitors are encouraged to consider what was lost, what was gained, what was decided, what was left uncertain, and how an event that occurred 150 years ago still influences us today. An American Turning Point is funded, in part, by the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission.
What's related:
• Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission | Commission meetings and events
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