Presentations Scheduled for Thursday Evenings -
October 6, 13, 20 and 27 from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. in the Clement Building - Ledbetter Auditorium

(Columbia, Tenn. - Sept. 19, 2011) - - - Columbia State Community College will host Celebrating Our American Heritage XXV. This fall marks the 25^th anniversary of the series which will be held on Thursday evenings throughout October from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Ledbetter Auditorium located in the Frank G. Clement building on the Columbia campus. This year, the series will focus on historical milestones from the Sesquicentennial of the beginning of the Civil War to the 200^th anniversary of what many consider to be the first battle of the War of 1812. The series is free and open to the public.

"Angels of the Battlefield:" Women in the Civil War and Beyond will be held on Thursday, October 6. In this presentation,Greg Mewbourn, instructor of history at Columbia State,will examine the contributions of women in the Civil War on the home front and as nurses, soldiers and spies. He will also discuss the women in the Confederate memorial movement, the impact of their efforts on the South's remembrance of the "Lost Cause" and the role of the movement in the fight for gender equality.

Lincoln as We See Him: Myths and Realities in Print and Film is scheduled for Thursday,October 13. Dr. James Senefeld, professor of English at Columbia State, will explore the photos, caricatures and films that have depicted our 16th President and how they have shaped our perception of him over the generations. Joining him will be faculty members from the Columbia State History Department including Assistant Professors Thomas Flagel and Dr. Jan Greenough along with Dr. Barry Gidcomb, professor,to discuss and unravel the various myths and misconceptions that have evolved from these popular representations.

The Battle of First Manassas will be presented on Thursday, October 20 by Dr. William X. Andrews, recently retired professor of history at Columbia State. This lecture will focus on personalities, strategy and tactics attending the first major military confrontation of the American Civil War. It will also include a discussion of the consequences of the battle, how it altered public perceptions about glory, how it influenced Lincoln's views on sacrifice and how it helped to transform the struggle into what would ultimately become a nineteenth-century version of total war.

The War of 1812: America's Most Decisive Draw will take place on Thursday, October 27 which is less than two weeks before the Bicentennial of the Battle of Tippecanoe. A panel of Columbia State faculty including Andrews, Senefeld, Gidcomb, Greenough and Mewbournwill discuss various aspects of the War of 1812 in what will be the 100^th Celebrating Our American Heritage series presentation.

Celebrating Our American Heritage is an annual series of presentations sponsored by the Columbia State Department of History designed to illuminate the past and enhance our understanding of the present.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

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