Displays and educational sessions open to the public April 7 and 8 in Providence
BLOOMINGTON- Whether debating the value of presidents, incorporating economic history in politics, or celebrating the centennial of the National Park Services, the Organization of American Historians (OAH) strives to educate the public regarding history and its effects. Thanks to a sponsorship from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH), Rhode Island residents can learn more regarding these subjects at the Organization of American Historians (OAH) Annual Meeting on April 7-8, 2016, in Providence. The meeting is the largest gathering of American historians and attracts over 2,000 attendees. The OAH hopes that teachers, community and civic leaders, professors and educators, elected officials, and those interested in Providence and American history will attend. This event is the nation’s largest gathering of American historians. Some of the events open for free to the Rhode Island public include:
Free educational sessions open to the public:
THURSDAY, APRIL 7 | 3:30 – 5 p.m. | Rhode Island Convention Center
Worst. President. Ever.
Discussions of leadership turn to the U.S. presidency, which in turn focuses on ratings. The nation’s top presidents receive immense praise as we carve their greatness into stone; however, our worst presidents are far more nebulous. Join our panelists as they question the qualifications of poor presidential performance and what that tells us about American leadership.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8 | 3:30 – 5 p.m. | Rhode Island Convention Center
Can We Use History?
Are we capable of utilizing our nation’s economic past to predict crises? Can we prepare and overcome economic struggle with the right information? Join Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, a professor in the Economics Ph.D. program at the Luxembourg Income Study center, as he leads a discussion attempting to answer such questions and promote policy makers to protect our economic interests with this information.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8 | 5:15 – 6:45 p.m. | Rhode Island Convention Center
The National Park Service at 100: A Conversation with Robert Stanton
A century has passed since the instigation of the National Park Service, but how much has the organization developed since the induction? Join Robert Stanton, a former National Park Service director, as he discusses the significance of the 2016 centennial and the historical importance of leadership within the agency. Watch as the panel considers the organization’s past, present, and future while planning how the OAH can contribute to the agency’s next century.
Free museum displays open to the public:
FRIDAY, APRIL 8 | 1 to 3:30 p.m. | Rhode Island Convention Center
Rhode Island in the Time of Lincoln
Marking the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, this exhibit contains artifacts and photos from his two tours in Rhode Island. Come and experience Rhode Island life in the 1860s as our sixteenth president walked among its streets.
Elisha Hunt Rhodes: Prepared to Do my whole duty
This exhibit showcases Elisha Hunt Rhodes, who enlisted in the Rhode Island 2nd Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Watch his journey through diary entries, photos, and letters as he rises through the ranks to become a colonel.
Navigating the Past: Brown University and the Voyage of the Slave Ship Sally, 1764-1765
Brown University and Professor James T. Campbell offer the chance to explore the history of the slave trade in this exhibit on the Sally. Retrace its voyage from the African coast to the island of Antigua and learn of the struggles it endured along the way.
Rhode Island: Faith and Freedom
This display explores Rhode Island’s role as a religious haven, fighting for religious freedom in its colonial charter, only to later deny liberties to its citizens. Through the funding of the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, experience the impact religion holds in Rhode Island’s culture and the measures taken to deny freedoms.
We welcome and hope to see the Rhode Island public at this year’s OAH Annual Meeting.
For more information about OAH and the OAH annual meeting or to register for the full conference, visit, oah.org, e-mail oah@oah.org, or call 812.855.7311.
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ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS Founded in 1907, the Organization of American Historians (OAH) is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to American history scholarship. With more than 7,600 members from the U.S. and abroad, OAH promotes excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history, encouraging wide discussion of historical questions and equitable treatment of history practitioners. It publishes the quarterly Journal of American History, the leading scholarly publication and journal of record in the field of American history for more than nine decades. It also publishes The American Historian magazine. Formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association (MVHA), the association became the OAH in 1965 to reflect a broader scope focusing on national studies of American history. Its national headquarters are located in the historic Raintree House on Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. For information, visit oah.org, e-mail oah@oah.org, or call 812.855.7311.
