Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2013
Contact: Cassandra Newby-Alexander
Phone: 757.823.2268
Fax: 757.823.2639
Email: clnewby-alexander@nsu.edu
NORFOLK, Va. – When did we become Americans? 1619: The Making of America, a conference to be held September 26, 2013 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center and September 27 at Norfolk State University’s Student Center, continues the national dialogue and reinterpretation of major questions that began in 1619. Three events marked a significant transformation in the history of the nation 12 years after the founding of Jamestown: The arrival of Africans to colonial North America; the founding of America’s first legislative body, the House of Burgesses; and the establishment of a viable economy based on tobacco. A year later, white women arrived in the colony, triggering the perception that the British were here to stay, thus creating a self-generating population.
This conference offers something for everyone, including an interdisciplinary platform to discuss important issues that define new interpretations about the influence of 1619 on early American history. Teachers attending can earn continuing education credits and acquire lesson objectives that meet Virginia’s SOL requirements. A special 3-hour undergraduate class accompanying this conference is also available for those interested in a more in-depth approach.
Topics covered during the conference range from Thursday’s 5 p.m. contemporary panel, “Deconstructing Race in the American Legal System; From 1619 to Trayvon Martin,” to what it means to be an American according to “Race, Law, and Slavery in Early America.” Race also plays a role in “Foodways and Emerging Diseases.” The latter panels will run concurrently on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at NSU’s Student Center. The conference also includes historical interpreters and a special Liberian Quilt display, bringing history alive for attendees.
Presenters include American Indians, prominent local physicians, area historians, National Park Service officials, and nationally known scholars from universities such as Johns Hopkins, Boston, Albany, South Carolina, Virginia, Hampton, Norfolk State, the College of William and Mary, Old Dominion, Virginia Wesleyan College, Delaware, and Wisconsin. To register and for more information, visit www.1619MakingofAmerica.com