“Every Blot of Slavery’s Shame”

Over 180,000 African Americans served in the United States Army during the American Civil War.  Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation issued on January 1, 1863, stated that “I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons… And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.” Controversial at the time, the role of these men in the war is still understated and relatively unknown.

Illustrated by references to the collections and activities of the National Civil War Museum, Jeffrey Nichols will explore the story of slavery in the United States and its significant role as a cause of the Civil War, the role of African Americans in the United States Army and Navy during the war, and the constitutional legacy of the US Colored Troops.

About the Speaker

Jeffrey L. Nichols is the Chief Executive Officer of The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Prior to joining The National Civil War Museum, he was the President & CEO of Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson’s retreat house and plantation located near Lynchburg, Virginia. He also worked at The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, in several roles, serving as Executive Director for the final four years of his tenure there. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Southern Connecticut State University, a Master of Science in Museum Education degree from the Bank Street College of Education, and an MBA from the University of New Haven. He serves as Treasurer for PA Museums and has served on the board of Greater Lynchburg (VA) Habitat for Humanity and was the Treasurer of the Virginia Association of Museums.