Press

ALBANY, NY – “Conflict, Catalyst, Conclusion: New York’s African-American Civil War Legacy” will be presented February 18 at the New York State Museum as part of the Museum’s celebration of Black History Month.

Three college professors, who are experts in 19th-century African-American history, will participate in the program from 10 a.m. to noon in the Huxley Theater. This free program is sponsored by the State Museum and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The program will begin with a dramatic presentation by Dr. David Anderson of Nazareth College. He will then join Dr. Kate Clifford Larson of Simmons College and Dr. Amy Murrell Taylor of the University at Albany for a panel discussion about the important role “colored troops” played in the quest for emancipation.

The United States Colored Troops (USCT) was the official name for African-American regiments in the U.S. Army during the Civil War. First recruited in 1863, the USCT comprised one-tenth of the Union Army by the end of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln authorized the recruitment of African-Americans to fight for the Union with the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. For the first time African-Americans could legally fight in the Union army against the Confederates.

Established in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

.