OXFORD, Miss. – Retired University of Mississippi history professor Sheila Skemp will present a Brown Bag lecture on “Brother Against Brother: The American Revolution as a Civil War” at noon Thursday (Oct. 3) in the Faulkner Room at the J.D. Williams Library.
The talk, hosted by the Department of Archives and Special Collections, focuses on Skemp’s research on the American Revolution and how colonists were more divided about the idea of declaring independence than once thought.
“Essentially, the talk argues that Americans were more divided about the wisdom and desirability of declaring independence than we used to believe,” Skemp said. “In the ‘old days’, we talked about class differences. But we now realize that there were people who opposed independence from all classes. And that towns, churches, even families were divided, finding themselves on opposing sides.”
Skemp holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Montana, and master’s and doctoral degrees in history from the University of Iowa. She joined the Ole Miss faculty in 1980 and was recognized with the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award for liberal arts. She also received the UM Faculty Achievement Award.
The brown bag happens at a time when Special Collections has materials from the Revolutionary War period on display, said Jennifer Ford, head of special collections and an associate professor.