Marquette historians Dr. Robert Smith and Dr. Kristen Foster will join Derek Mosley, director of the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education, for a discussion exploring how the Declaration of Independence shaped early Black Americans’ claims for freedom on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Sensenbrenner Hall 304.
The discussion will examine how Prince Hall and other free Black residents of Massachusetts used the Declaration to frame their claims for freedom, how those claims influenced gradual abolition in the North and their impact on David Walker’s “Appeal.” The panel will also consider how the Declaration was understood and used during this period and what that history means in America today.
RSVP online; registration is preferred but not required.
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