Presentations Scheduled for Thursday Evenings - September 30, October 14 and 21, and November 4 from 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. in the Clement Building - Ledbetter Auditorium

(Columbia, Tenn. - September 21, 2010) - - - Columbia State Community College will host Celebrating Our American Heritage XXIV. The series of presentations will be held on select Thursday evenings throughout September, October, and November from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. in Ledbetter Auditorium. The series is free and open to the public.

The Constitution and the Balance of Power between the Federal Government and the States will be held on Thursday, September 30. Join Columbia State for its annual commemoration of the United States Constitution. This year's program will address an age-old controversy that has once again reared its proverbial head. Under the Constitution, what are the prerogatives of the Federal government, what powers are reserved to the states, and just who determines whether the Federal government has exceeded its authority? The panel will include Professors Bill Andrews, Adrienne Skora, Hoyt Gardner, Thomas Flagel, Jim Senefeld and Barry Gidcomb.

The True Causes of the American Civil War is scheduled for Thursday, October 14. The 150th anniversary of the American Civil War is just around the corner, and yet a most elusive question remains: What was it all about? Dr. Bill Andrews and Mr. Thomas Flagel will explore this controversial topic to shed light on how and why the "United States" entered its bloodiest war to date.

"Damn sugar, damn coffee, damn colonies!" The Haitian Revolution and the Emergence of the United States as a Continental Power will be presented on Thursday, October 21. On January 1, 1804, Haiti officially became the second free nation in the Western Hemisphere and the world's first Black republic. Among the consequences of Haiti's long and bloody rebellion against France was President Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase. Dr. Barry Gidcomb will examine the historic ties between the U.S. and Haiti and a debt our nation can never fully repay.

The Great American War Songs will take place on Thursday, November 4. For Americans, how important was music in wartime? What role did it play in expressing patriotism, hope, or anxiety? How has it changed over the generations, and why? Hoyt Gardner, Thomas Flagel, Adrienne Skora, and Dr. Jim Senefeld will lead a panel of History and Humanities faculty in this multimedia exploration of our wartime past from "Yankee Doodle" to our National Anthem and beyond.

Celebrating Our American Heritage is an annual series of presentations sponsored by the Columbia State Department of History designed to illuminate the past and enhance our understanding of the present.

The Ledbetter Auditorium is located in the Clement building on Columbia State's Columbia Campus.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

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