The Filson Historical Society is proud to present Filson Fridays. Meet our staff as they share the results of their research in The Filson Collections. Enjoy this summer programming every Friday at noon. On August 13, the Director of Research for the Filson Institute, A. Glenn Crothers, will speak on the influence of religion on the Civil War.
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, both the North and the South believed their cause had divine sanction. Years of revivalism had taught Protestant Americans that the country and its republican government was favored by God and that they could understand His will through a literal reading of the Bible. During the Civil War, however, northerners and southerners reached different conclusions about the religious significance of the war. A growing number of northerners saw the conflict as divine punishment for the sin of slavery and an opportunity for national redemption. Reading the same Bible in the same literal fashion, white southerners concluded that they enjoyed God’s special favor. But unlike the North, they fought to protect a southern way of life based on slavery, which they believed had biblical sanction. This program explores how American religious values influenced the course of the war and how the war forced many Americans to reevaluate their spiritual assumptions.
This lecture will begin at noon at The Filson Historical Society. There is no cost for this event, though reservations are suggested. You may reserve your seat by visiting www.filsonhistorical.org or by calling The Filson at (502) 635-5083.