Dr. Zaborney on the presentation
February is designated as American Black History Month. That’s when organizations and universities all over the States celebrate African American history in various ways and activities. To commemorate and honor African-American heritage and History Month, the UMPI History Club decided to dedicate a seminar on Thursday, February 22. At the event their presence showed students, but also faculty and community members, the true meaning and empowerment of accurately learning our history.
Following events that took place early this year and the year before in Charlottesville and all the racially related rallies all over the country, the history club decided to create a seminar led by an expert on these matters of early slavery and the history of the South: Dr. John Zaborney.
His talk was called, “The Origins, Development, and Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1600s-1865.” Through this presentation, Zaborney talked about the true aspects of slavery. He gave an account of accurate events that took place from the early 1600s to the mid 1800s, all the way up to the assassination of President Lincoln. His death marked the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the era of Reconstruction.
In his presentation, Zaborney gave many detailed descriptions on slavery and events that changed the course of history. “Slavery always was most widespread in the South. However, where it survived the American Revolution, it expanded westward, and became the central cause of the Civil War,” Zaborney said. He went on explaining how slavery connected with the rise of the American Civil War.
The audience showed great appreciation for Zaborney and his presentation. “The need to know our history with its true sequence and the most accurate events and leading causes is very crucial for us to be able to understand the events,” sophomore student Adam Weyeneth, who was present at the event, said.
Today there is a sense of wanting to either willingly or unwillingly erase certain parts from history that people don’t like or don’t agree with. But by doing so the true meaning of history and its importance is lost.
There is a quote by Marcus Garvey that states: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”
The history club, as a new club on campus, is working on a future series of historical presentations that will target a wider audience with many different historical themes and lessons. Having discussions on topics that raise interest is very crucial, especially when events like these are student led and promote the student interest in learning our national history accurately and with great respect to the events that shape our lives today. There are many plans for the years coming with a variety of presentations, seminars and discussions led by our faculty and members of the history club that promise to give a spectacular show to its audience.
