The Lincoln Memorial Shrine will honor Women’s History Month on Saturday, March 28 at 10am with a presentation by Louisa Brandt on the contributions of women in California to the Civil War. Brandt’s program, “Improving Californian Respectability: Women’s Participation in the Civil War from the Golden State,” will take place in A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Assembly Room and on Zoom.
“Improving Californian Respectability: Women’s Participation in the Civil War from the Golden State” will highlight how women were essential to California’s war participation even though, apart from the Native population, there were two men for every woman. Brandt will demonstrate that the actions of the relatively limited female population added propriety to their Unionist and secessionist causes, and improved the reputation of the state from one of insular decadence during the Gold Rush years to one that was respectable and attuned to national affairs. The program will draw from Brandt’s dissertation titled “A Full Measure of Devotion: California’s Exceptional Commitment to the Union During the Civil War.”
This program is free and open to the public thanks to the generous contributions of donors to A.K. Smiley Public Library. Follow this link to access the program on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88443917575?pwd=VZ3AM11kMtUXJmmRKVvwOdXCshbxVP.1. Registration is not required. Program subject to change.
If you have any questions, call (909)798-7632 or email heritage@akspl.org. Please visit www.lincolnshrine.org for up-to-date information.
About the Presenter:
Louisa Brandt is a PhD Candidate in history at the University of California, Davis. Her dissertation is entitled “A Full Measure of Devotion: California’s Exceptional Commitment to the Union During the Civil War.” As a born and raised Californian, she has long been interested in local history, and her study of the Civil War is drawn out of this search for community stories shedding light on national narratives. She also has a Master of Arts from University of Oklahoma, and Bachelors of Arts in history and art history from University of California, Davis.