Over the course of four years, enslaved people worked to turn the Civil War into a freedom war, and to compel Abraham Lincoln to issue abolish slavery. On June 19, 1865, the federal government declared slavery dead across the country—a new birth of freedom we now commemorate as Juneteenth. 

About Richard Bell

Dr. Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the book Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, and the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar award and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. His new book, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, was published by Penguin in November 2025.

INVITE

This program is appropriate for ages 18 and above. An invitation to join this virtual talk will be sent to participants one day prior to the event. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.