Century of Conflict: War (and Peace) Talks & Events in NYC
By Troy Segal
2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War, but that conflict’s finale became the overture to 100 years of strife—the bloodiest century in human history—and the birth of modern warfare, in all its cold-blooded, technology-driven manifestations. Covering this grim theme, but sounding some hopeful notes as well, are these upcoming war talks, performances and events, arranged in historical chronological order.
The Civil War Era: A Rutgers University history professor parses Abraham Lincoln’s Last Speech, demonstrating how it shows the development of his ideas for Reconstruction—plans tragically curtailed with his death, only a couple of days later. New-York Historical Society, Apr. 14…Immerse yourself in “Music, the Civil War, and American Memory” at a conference celebrating the reissue of Walt Whitman’s Drum-Taps, a book of war poems which includes the elegy for Lincoln, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” Apr. 18…Some historians have called Lincoln the last casualty of the Civil War. The Merchant’s House Museum hosts a musical ceremony that alternates between a talk on Lincoln’s funeral and the antebellum U.S. with period songs written after the assassination, Apr. 26…Why Is Lincoln Still Relevant? It’s not a statement you can apply to most 19th-century leaders. A panel of experts on the 16th president explains all. Morgan Library & Museum, Apr. 28.
The World War I Era: Actor/playwright Eric Bogosian has written a book that sounds like something ripped from the scripts of his erstwhile series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. It describes a real-life plot to assassinate the Turkish leaders responsible for the Armenian Genocide—the systemic 1915-16 massacre of the 1.5 million Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire. Bogosian, who is of Armenian descent, appears at Barnes & Noble – Union Square, Apr. 21 and at BookCourt, Apr. 23…When the British luxury liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine—resulting in the deaths over a thousand passengers and crew—it caused an international outcry, and helped push the U.S. into World War I (120 of the deceased were Americans). Hear all about it, at this lecture held almost exactly 100 years to the day of the sinking. The English-Speaking Union of the United States, May 4.
The World War II Era: Punctuated by performances of contemporary and period works, a panel focuses on the experiences of female victims and survivors of the Holocaust. Center for Jewish History, Apr. 13…The small French village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is one of only two towns to be recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for its collective effort to save Jews in World War II. Hear the full story at a talk at The Jewish Museum. Apr. 16…A professor specializing in Holocaust history describes the ingenuous ways Jewish families throughout Europe communicated with each other during the war, literally “Holding On Through Letters.” Queensborough Community College, Apr. 26…The grandson of Harry Truman—the president who bore the weight of the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan—hosts With Love to Hiroshima & Nagasaki: A Concert for Disarmament; the tribute to the two stricken cities offers music that ranges from hip-hop to choral and musicians both American and Japanese. New York Society for Ethical Culture, May 2…Before Bill Blass was a fashion icon, he served in WWII’s “Ghost Army,” a collection of artists who used deception as a weapon against the Germans. Hear the top secret story at the 92nd Street Y…May 11.
The Modern Era: Relive Thirteen Days in September, as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright (The Looming Tower) chronicles the 1978 Camp David talks between Carter, Begin and Sadat that led—temporarily, at least—to peace in the Middle East. Congregation Beth Elohim, Apr. 28…Britain’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, is primarily remembered here as an ally of President Reagan and a financial conservative. But she was also the first P.M. in 30 years to lead her nation to war—the 1982 conflict over the Falklands Islands. Author Andrew Roberts, who knew the Iron Lady, describes this career-altering period of her administration. New-York Historical Society, Apr. 30.