Our December Books & Brews features author Ed Ayers discussing his book, The Thin Light of Freedom: The Civil war and Emancipation in the Heart of America. This book tells a story of America’s history and two astounding events: The immediate and complete destruction of the most powerful system of slavery in the modern world followed by a political reconstruction in which new constitutions established the fundamental rights of citizens for formerly enslaved people. Few people living in 1860 would have dared imagine either event, and yet, in retrospect, both seem to have been inevitable.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at Pale Fire Brewing Company in Harrisonburg at 7pm.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018 in Crozet at the Pro Re Nata Farm Brewery at 7pm.
WMRA's Books & Brews series is sponsored by Union Bank & Trust.
When you present your WMRA Member Card at either event, you'll receive a certificate for a complimentary beer.
No tickets are required.
Edward Ayers is Tucker-Boatwright Professor of the Humanities at the University of Richmond, where he is President Emeritus. President Barack Obama awarded him the National Humanities Medal in 2013. Ed served as president of the Organization of American Historians during the 2017-18 term.
Over four decades of work of writing history, experimenting with digital scholarship, collaborating in public history, and teaching and leading in higher education, Ed has tried to find new ways to connect people with the American past. That work continues with the collaborators and projects represented here.
