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DELAWARE, Ohio – Civil War expert Jonathan W. White will discuss "A Tale of Two Slave Traders: Lincoln and the Destruction of the Transatlantic Slave Trade" when he presents Ohio Wesleyan University's 2024 Richard W. Smith Lecture in Civil War History.
A professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, White, Ph.D., will speak at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Benes Rooms of Ohio Wesleyan's Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free.
In his talk, White will explore the "extraordinary lengths the Lincoln Administration went to destroy the illegal transatlantic slave trade during the Civil War." White will use the story of a 19th-century sailor named Appleton Oaksmith to show the steps that Abraham Lincoln and his secretary of state, William H. Seward, took to forever stop illegal slavers – including the suspension of habeas corpus, the civil courts, and even an international kidnapping scheme.
White is the author or editor of 19 books and more than 100 articles, essays, and reviews about Lincoln, the Civil War, slavery and emancipation, and the U.S. Constitution.
He is a co-winner (with Jon Meacham) of the 2023 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize for the book "A House Built By Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House." Among his other titles, "Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln" was named a best book by Civil War Monitor, was a finalist for both the Lincoln Prize and the Jefferson Davis Prize, and won the Abraham Lincoln Institute's 2015 book prize. In addition, White's "Midnight in America: Darkness, Sleep, and Dreams during the Civil War" was named a best book by Civil War Monitor, and "'Our Little Monitor': The Greatest Invention of the Civil War," co-authored with Anna Gibson Holloway, was a finalist for the Indie Book Awards and honorable mention for the John Lyman Book Award. White's first children's book, "My Day with Abe Lincoln," was released earlier this year.
White also is a distinguished lecturer for the Organization of American Historians, serves on the Boards of Directors of the Abraham Lincoln Institute and the Abraham Lincoln Association, and is the vice chair of The Lincoln Forum. He also serves on the Ford's Theatre Advisory Council, the editorial board of the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, and is editor of both "Lincoln Lore" and "The Lincoln Forum Bulletin." Learn more about White at www.jonathanwhite.org.
Ohio Wesleyan's Smith Lecture in Civil War History is named in honor of Richard W. Smith, Ph.D., a retired history professor who taught at OWU between 1950 and 1986. Past speakers in the series, which began in 2002, have included Pulitzer Prize-winner James M. McPherson, author of "Battle Cry Freedom: The Civil War Era."
For those unable to attend the Sept. 30 lecture in person, White's presentation will be recorded and posted on Stream OWU.
Learn more about the OWU Department of History and the annual Smith Lecture at owu.edu/history.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.