Last Wednesday might have been the first time that a speaker at Longwood has pulled a gun on the audience. Dr. William Freehling spoke to a group of students as part of a mini symposium in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The event was hosted by the Department of History, Political Science and Philosophy.
Students of the department filled the Blackwell Hall Auditorium to hear Freehling's take on "Virginia's Secession Crisis." Though many professors offered extra credit for attendance, many students went simply to hear such a renowned historian speak on the topic. "He's a very enthusiastic and passionate speaker," said History Major and Junior Alyssa Foley.
Samantha Zerio, another history major, described him as "a fascinating individual who actively engages students."
Associate Professor of History Dr. Larissa Ferguson introduced the speaker to the audience, telling the students and professors in attendance of his notable accomplishments. According to a press release from Longwood, "Freehling is the Emeritus Singletary Chair in the Humanities from the University of Kentucky. In 2007, the Oxford University Press published the second and concluding volume Freehling's "Road to Disunion, subtitled Secessionists Triumphant, 1854-1861."
Freehling was certainly able to keep the audience's attention. His lecture was very informative, but also entertaining. He used props, including a horse pistol, to engage students. "If anyone disagrees with what I have to say," he said, quoting the former governor of Virginia, Henry Wise, while waving the horse pistol in the air, "they ought to try and assassinate me."
The unconventional methods that Freehling mixed with his lecture really kept the interest of the students who attended and gave them insight into the chaos of the period leading up to the Civil War.
He criticized the typical interpretation of the Civil War. "No way," he said after describing the story that most students hear in high school. He provided an alternative story that was much more interesting. He presented the characters in the narrative as actual people, and even had Ferguson assist him in reenacting a debate between a unionist and non-unionist. He won, of course, because he was the one with the gun.
The speaker's focus was on Virginia and its decision to secede from the union, but he also analyzed Abraham Lincoln's threat to the South, and discussed the reasons of the other states for seceding.
Eventually, Virginia did secede; the population voted to do so four to one, Freehling explained, and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
After the presentation, he asked students for questions, and the conversation continued. "What do you think, by the way?" he asked the audience. The students and professors who attended the event then enjoyed a generous spread of desserts and sparkling punch with the speaker in Blackwell Foyer.
