Reflecting on the Civil War’s 150th Anniversary:  Perfecting our Union in Times of Crisis

Friday, April 1, 2011
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

April 12, 2011, will mark one hundred and fifty years since the Civil War’s first shots were fired at Fort Sumter.  That war pinned brother against brother and forced an infant republic to confront its original sin in order to move closer to fulfilling the promise of its founders.  On the sesquicentennial anniversary, we, the heirs of that generation of Americans, will reflect on history and recall how a stronger Union emerged. 

Today, this generation is confronting the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, recovering from disasters (natural and manmade), and tempering the storms of terror as it engages in wars with an enemy not confined to any border.  Nevertheless, if history teaches us anything it is that the republic can emerge stronger because of it.  The Civil War revealed us at our darkest, but because of it a fundamental declaration was ascribed, that all citizens are to be granted equal protection of the law and that no government under any circumstances can abrogate that right. 

The symposium titled, “Reflecting on the Civil War’s 150th Anniversary:  Perfecting our Union in Times of Crisis” will provide a forum that sparks a discourse on the interaction between law and policy during trying times.  Our goal is to foster a discussion that acknowledges how the war on terror, natural disasters, and economic crisis have focused attention on our nation’s unfulfilled promises.

Confirmed speakers include the Honorable Robert Menendez, U.S. Senator from New Jersey, New Jersey Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, and Newark Board of Education President Shavar Jeffries.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~racelaw/symposiumrsvpform.html

The Symposium is free and open to the public.