AACWERT
AACWERT
The African Americans in the Civil War Era Round Table, Inc
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Our next presentation is Thursday, July 17th, at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
Dr. Gregory J.W. Urwin will talk on "Glory and Me: A Professor's Love/Hate Relationship with Hollywood."
Dr. Urwin is a Professor of History at Temple University. He was also recruited, drilled, and commanded a Company of soldier extras in the movie "Glory" from the University of Central Arkansas. He is the author of nine books, in addition to numerous articles and essays, including one on Civil War racial atrocities and reprisals, which was honored with the Harold L. Peterson Award from the Eastern National Park and Monument Association.
Here is the Zoom link for the presentation.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82305387504?pwd=2XERKhGhIRhAtYKuueda4gKPadaSiI.1
Meeting ID: 823 0538 7504
Passcode: 772599
The AACWERT is planning another presentation on the making of the movie "Glory," scheduled for early 2026, featuring "Glory," veterans who share their experiences in making the movie.
If you missed the presentation, you can watch the recorded program by clicking on the button below.
A Special Presentation. Dr. Andrew Sillen, author of
"Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White"
THE TRUE STORY OF DAVID HENRY WHITE, A FREE BLACK TEENAGE SAILOR ENSLAVED ON THE HIGH SEAS DURING THE CIVIL WAR, WHOSE LIFE STORY WAS FALSELY AND INTENTIONALLY APPROPRIATED TO ADVANCE THE LOST CAUSE TROPE OF A CONTENTED SLAVE, HAPPY AND SAFE IN SERVILITY.
Andy Book Talk Final Edit 4.mp4Dr. Andrew Sillen.
Visiting Research Associate, Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University.
Bill Gwaltney introduces the AACWERT
What to expect?
What to expect?
We are dedicated to documented history, rather than inventive theories and wishful thinking.
The presentations provided by this Civil War Round Table are based on first-rate research; are well-organized, and are professionally presented. Our African Americans in the Civil War Era Round Table, Inc. is a place for accomplished researchers and historians to share what they have learned, through primary and secondary sources, with interested parties from around the nation and around the world.
What is the AACWERT?
What is the AACWERT?
The AACWERT is a part of the Civil War Round Table (CWRT) community. These round tables have existed for decades and have traditionally brought like minded individuals who have an interest in America's Civil War together for monthly or quarterly meetings at brick and mortar locations in cities across the nation. Experts in academia, in a multitude of focus areas, in a variety of subjects, within the time period of struggle, have presented lectures to these C WRT members.
This CWRT is unique in that the focus is placed on the African American experience during the time period (1850-1877) all presentations are provided through a web-based communications platform enabling global participation.
African Americans in the Civil War era
100% Virtual Presentations (accessible worldwide)
As a Civil War Round Table dedicated to the subject of the African American experience this forum provides a platform for often untold stories. We purposefully conscious of the roles that racism, enslavement, discrimination and racial violence played in the era. Often overlooked are the powerful uplifting stories too; those of hope, bravery, family, and community. War, emancipation, famine, and pandemics had an effect on the African American community far more powerful than any other ethnic group. The role of African Americans in the military is also one of heroism, hope, struggle for equality, acceptance, and discrimination. These stories and more that are the focus of this CWRT.
The Rock Creek Civil War Round Table
Presents Part 3
“The Meaning of Emancipation”
by
Bennie J. McRae Jr.
and
Cheryl Stallworth-Hooper, Narrator
Saturday, June 7, 2025
9:30 A.M Eastern Time
Of special interest in Part 3 are the widespread reactions of enslaved African Americans, who sensed in the Emancipation Proclamation a possible end of the institution of slavery. Across the South, hundreds of thousands of freedmen seized the opportunity, escaped to freedom, and swelled the ranks of the Union Army in the fight against the Confederacy. By their life choices and actions, African Americans place issues of slavery and freedom at the forefront of public concern, political debate and U. S. governmental policy.
Military victories in the Mississippi Valley and the coastal states from Virginia to Florida presented the Union Army with new legal, economic and social policy questions. How should it receive the tens of thousands of freedmen who were flocking to its armies? Should the Union Army re-start the southern agricultural system that had been interrupted by the war? Under what policies should states in rebellion be returned to representation in the U.S. Congress?
In this month’s presentation Bennie McRae Jr. and his narrator, Cheryl Stallworth-Hooper will highlight some of the many policy debates that galvanized the nation from 1863 to the approval of the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865. Policies and programs to be explored include:
Ø Pres. Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, December 8, 1863
Ø The American Freedmen’s Inquiry Commission
Ø The Bureau of Colored Troops
Ø The Lieber Code and the treatment of prisoners of war,
Ø The Wade-Davis Act, and
Ø The Proposed 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
During the Civil War, the press was a powerful tool for influencing public opinion, acting as a social influence machine that swayed political and military perspectives. Through the nation’s telegraph network, newspapers provided daily updates on issues such as military battles, casualty lists, troop movements, and the military draft. Newspapers often editorialized about the war and discussed the use of Black troops and provisions for freedmen. The combat performance of African American regiments – in victory and disaster -- were covered in great detail.
The Civil War presented African Americans with a wide range of threats and opportunities. Across the spectrum, most hoped that the conflict would result in the destruction of the peculiar institution known as slavery. African Americans demonstrated their desire for freedom and communities by moving toward Union lines and a willingness to enlist as soldiers. This desire sparked new social political possibilities, which are reflected in the issues above.
At 9:30 AM, Saturday, June 7, 2026, please join Mr. Bennie J, McRae Jr., Narrator Cheryl Stallworth-Hooper and the Rock Creek Civil War Round Table (RCCWRT) for an insightful and uplifting follow-up discussion.
A Virtual Presentation
Via
Zoom Meeting
(See Zoom Link Below)
Link to Join Zoom Meeting: : Due to a Zoom Security Alert, to access this meeting we are now requiring entry of the Passcode Number below.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88510223029?pwd=hykGQFS1qvEpijdCE3ze8zHTHtsP7B.1
Meeting ID: 885 1022 3029
Passcode: 496280
BENNIE J. MCRAE JR.
BIOGRAPHY
Bennie J. McRae is a native of Louisville, Alabama and served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War from August 1951 to July 1955, and presently resides in Trotwood, Ohio. He retired in 1989 after 36 years of service as an air traffic service operations specialist, air traffic training and management positions with the United States Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration.
After retiring, McRae visited numerous libraries, archives, and historic sites for the purpose of researching and documenting nineteenth and twentieth century history with a focus on people of African descent in the American Civil War, on the Western Frontier, in World Wars I and II. This interest resulted in the publishing of “Lest We Forget”, an historical quarterly from 1992 until 1997, and the development of four websites on the African American military experience, “Lest We Forget”, “Making of the United States of America”, “African American Military History” and “Resting Places of United States Colored Civil War Soldiers and Sailors”.
McRae has an M.A. in Business Management from Central Michigan University and a B.A. in Business Management from Antioch College.
He has been honored with numerous awards, proclamations and resolutions for researching and sharing the “hidden history” of people of African descent in the United States.
Bennie McRae
President Bill Gwaltney presents, The True Glory: 1st Sgt Robert John Simmons. The man he portrayed in the movie Glory.
USCT Presentation Huntington Beach Civil War Days 2024
Bennie McRae presents to the Rock Creek CWRT - May 11, 2024
Part 1
"The Transition from Slavery to Freedom in the United States: From the 13 Colonies to the 13th Amendment."
Bennie_McRea_ May 11_2024.m4vHere is the link to Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley's recorded presentation.
"Slavery and Secession
Recorded June 26, 2024
The Lincoln Memorial Shrine, in partnership with the Inland Empire Civil War Round Table and African Americans in the Civil War Era Round Table, presents “Slavery and Secession,” a program by Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley, former Chief Historian for the National Park Service, where he will share his extensive research into the records from the secession winter of 1860-61 and answers the question: “Why did the South secede?”
Currently a Professor of History at New Mexico State University, Dr. Pitcaithley will summarize his two decades of examination of the official records of the secession movement, including the speeches and debates of elected officials captured in the Congressional Globe, proceedings of state legislature and secession conventions, and the Washington Peace Conference. As Dr. Pitcaithley will demonstrate, these records clearly reveal the motivations of the South’s promoters of disunion. Of the speaker, Bill Gwaltney, President of African Americans in the Civil War Era Round Table, said, "Having been in and around the world of Public History for some decades, I am pleased to suggest that Dwight Pitcaithley is a rare combination of wit, deep knowledge, humor, focus, and passion.” Concluding, “He is also a riveting presenter.”
About the Speaker...
Dwight T. Pitcaithley, PhD is a Professor of History at New Mexico State University. He served with the National Park Service for 30 years, retiring as Chief Historian in 2005, a position he held for a decade.
He is the author of a number of books, which include The U.S. Constitution and Secession: A Documentary Anthology of Slavery and White Supremacy (2018) and is a coeditor of The Antiquities Act: A Century of American Archaeology, Historic Preservation, and Nature Conservation (2006). He has also contributed chapters to numerous publications, including Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory (2006), Preserving Western History (2005), Myth, Memory, and the Making of the American Landscape (2001), and Seeing and Being Seen: Tourism in the American West (2001).
Dr. Pitcaithley has received numerous awards, among them the Organization of American Historians Distinguished Service Award. He is also an elected member of the American Antiquarian Society and a recipient of an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of North Carolina.
About Our Partners...
The Inland Empire Civil War Round Table is an educational organization open to anyone interested in the American Civil War era. It was founded in 1987 and meets in the Assembly Room of Smiley Library and on Zoom. For more information, visit www.inlandempirecwrt.org.
Founded in 2023, African Americans in the Civil War Era Round Table is also an educational organization that seeks to provide a forum for those with an interest in the history of African Americans during the period 1850-1877 as it relates to enslavement, enlistment and emancipation.
What else dos the AACWERT provide?
Our AACWERT provides more than just Zoom presentations. We plan to add to this central hub links to high quality USCT and African Americans in the Civil War information and agencies such as those from libraries, National Archives, US Library of Congress, US Army Center for Military History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Genealogy, etc.
Sample Zoom CWRT Presentation (Steward Henderson)
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