And i would also like to welcome the cspan audience out there who is recording as the cd. Its great to have you back into library. These evening book talks are special for a variety of races because we get to bring exciting, ne, new historians toe eager community here, but also because its sponsored by ford which has been a great donor to mount vernon for many, many years. As you on the mount vernon late association does not take any government money. Its a completely private institution based on philanthropy and based on people coming to the estate. So we depend on groups like the ford family and the Ford Motor Company who have supported mount vernon since henry ford became the first fire engine to mount vernon to keep the Mansion House from burning to the ground. As some of you know its an ongoing challenge. In fact you are welcome to donate to our Fire Suppression efforts right now. Id like to welcome you all out here. Before we begin the main event i also want to mention some Upcom
Mr. White is the coauthor of a season of slaughter the battle of Spotsylvania Court house, may 821, 1864. This talk was part of a symposium hosted by the emerging civil war blog. Our first speaker today is a man for whom i hold the utmost respect. Three years ago this again, in fact, we sat on the back porch of a little building next to the stone lodge action shrine and we were thinking, you know, what can we do to help people become more invested in these stories of the civil war . That is were the emerging civil war blog first came to be. Since then, over the past three to a, we have expanded publishing series that we will talk about this afternoon. Of course, the symposium and a number of speaking engagements, as well. We are continuing our outreach to help people become invested in these very important and engaging stories. Historian ander former licensed battlefield guide at gettysburg here he is one of those men who you could drop him on any battlefield, take off the blindfold, a
From ancient sumer clay tablets reveal astonishing details about daily life 5,000 years ago, and tell the story of the invention of writing. Symbols can be the gateway to the hearts and minds of ancient people. Their decipherment is one of the greatest challenges facing archaeologists today. We humans are social animals. Our need to communicate is universal. Some of our messages can be easily understood. But we communicate, too, through abstract symbols that have meaning only within a particular culture. These symbols take many forms. The flag is a symbol. A gesture says were number one. The uniform is a symbol that identifies the official and the player. The game itself is symbolic ritualized combat with clearly defined rules. Even sound can be a symbol. [ whistle blows ] the whistle signals the end of play. But why a whistle . Why not a gong . Why a striped shirt and not a plaid one . The choice is arbitrary. But within this culture, the meaning is mutually accepted. The use of symbo
About life among the maya . From ancient sumer clay tablets reveal astonishing details about daily life 5,000 years ago, and tell the story of the invention of writing. Symbols can be the gateway to the hearts and minds of ancient people. Their decipherment is one of the greatest challenges facing archaeologists today. We humans are social animals. Our need to communicate is universal. Some of our messages can be easily understood. But we communicate, too, through abstract symbols that have meaning only within a particular culture. These symbols take many forms. The flag is a symbol. A gesture says were number one. The uniform is a symbol that identifies the official and the player. The game itself is symbolic ritualized combat with clearly defined rules. Even sound can be a symbol. [ whistle blows ] the whistle signals the end of play. But why a whistle . Why not a gong . Why a striped shirt and not a plaid one . The choice is arbitrary. But within this culture, the meaning is mutuall
Welcome to our annual symposium, the presidency and Historic Preservation is the topic for this year. These are hosted by the White House Historical association, and this year we have the honor of having our partners, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. My name is stewart mclaurin, and i think i know most of you here in this room. And i have the privilege and honor of serving as the president of the White House Historical association. Well, its been quite a while since we have had the opportunity to convene here on our campus. Everyone has been largely virtual in this occasion, has been so the last two years. But its a real honor to be able to be under this roof and in the fellowship of people caring about the same subject as you all do here today. Id like to begin by recognizing two members of our board of directors who are here. Tham kind of hickam is going to be here today. I dont see her yet. And john barrett is here today. And we have a large number of our National Counc