XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA, LIBRARY RESOURCE CENTER,
will host
LINCOLN:  THE CONSTITUTION AND THE CIVIL WAR,
A TRAVELING EXHIBITION FOR LIBRARIES
APRIL 6, 2011 to JUNE 25, 2011

The exhibition was organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association Public Programs Office.  The traveling exhibition has been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the National Constitution Center.  Abraham Lincoln was elected President in November, 1860 as the sixteenth president of the United States with less than 40 percent of the vote evident that our country was at a perilous moment in the nation’s history and very divisive. In 1787, the Framers of the Constitution left some unresolved issues about America unanswered:

• Was the “United States” truly one nation, or was it a confederacy of sovereign and separate states?
• How could a country founded on the belief that “all men are created equal” tolerate slavery?
• In a national crisis, would civil liberties be secure?

In 1860, the aforementioned issues came to the forefront during Lincoln’s election and subsequent Presidency bringing the nation to the brink of Civil War.  This exhibition vividly traces Lincoln’s struggle to resolve these questions, through three distinct divisions entitled: Divided, Bound, and Dissent which serve as a backdrop to revive the Constitution  and embrace the long held belief that “all men are created equal” which Lincoln quoted in his famous Gettysburg Address.

The Xavier University of Louisiana Library Resource Center is pleased to sponsor an essay contest, free public programs and other events in conjunction with this notable exhibition.

Opening Ceremony and Reception Wednesday April 13, 2011 6pm-8pm  Library Resource Center 1st floor  “A Black Affair” featuring the world renowned author and accomplished Creative Writing Professor playwright., Yale Drama School, John Golden Fellow Mr. David Madden, M.A. Louisiana State University Robert Penn Warren Professor of Creative Writing., Emeritus., Chairman, Louisiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Contact Michele Woods 520-7584, mwoods@xula.edu or visit the Library Resource Center’s website for more details on other upcoming events.