Marines storm the Armory Fire-Enginehouse
Harpers Ferry Historical Association Home > John Brown's 1859 Raid > John Brown Remembered

Call for Papers

John Brown Remembered:
150th Anniversary of the Raid on Harpers Ferry

John Brown with pikeOctober 14 -17, 2009
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Plenary Speakers Include:

  • Dr. David Blight
  • Dr. Spencer Crew
  • Dr. Paul Finkelman

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, along with other partners, will host a multidisciplinary academic symposium on John Brown and his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry. This early announcement of the conference is designed to stimulate new and innovative scholarly research and debate. Submissions should focus on the life of John Brown in relation to the broader context of slavery, the abolitionist movement, and the American civil rights movement. We welcome 300 word abstracts or proposals. Proposals for panels are also welcome. All presentations will be eligible for submission to the proposed publication of the conference's juried proceedings.

Submission topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • John Brown’s Plan
  • John Brown and Frederick Douglass
  • Events leading up to and/or following the raid
  • Individual Raiders
  • The Secret Six
  • The Trial
  • Press Coverage of Brown, the Raid, or the Trial
  • Responses in the South and/or the North
  • Political Responses: Lincoln, Gov. Wise, etc.
  • Literary Responses
  • John Brown in Literature, Art, and/or Entertainment
  • Biographers of John Brown
  • Descendants of Participants of this Historic Event
  • John Brown and Religion
  • Brown and the African-American Community
  • Heyward Shepherd

Submission Deadline: 15 January 2009

Please include the following information in your conference proposals or abstracts: Name, e-mail address, college or university affiliation, mailing address, audio visual needs, and times when it is impossible for you to present your work during the October timeframe. Also please indicate if you are part of a pre-arranged panel.

E-mail submissions are encouraged, although mailed submissions will also be accepted.

Download the Call for Papers poster (PDF)

SUBMIT PROPOSALS & ABSTRACTS TO:

Dr. Peggy A. Russo
1 Campus Drive,
Penn State University
Mont Alto, PA 17237

Phone: (717) 749-6231
Fax: (717) 749-6231

u7k@psu.edu

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Kim Biggs
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
P O Box 65
Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

(304) 535-6026

Kim_Biggs@nps.gov

 

CONFERENCE SPONSORS:

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Harpers Ferry Historical Association

Jefferson County NAACP

National Parks Conservation Association

John Brown Heritage Association

Penn State University, Mont Alto Campus

 

Artwork: Full length portrait of John Brown holding a pike, by Richard Schlecht (Harpers Ferry Center Commissioned Art Collection)