William Paterson University Presents Conference on Thomas Jefferson, Slavery and Emancipation

A conference commemorating the anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s first term as president of the United States and the 1804 Law, which provided for the emancipation of slaves in New Jersey, will be held at William Paterson University on Thursday, April 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Paterson Room of the David and Lorraine Cheng Library on campus.

“Thomas Jefferson, Slavery, and Emancipation,” is a continuing education workshop for middle school and high school social studies teachers. The conference marks the 200th anniversary of the 1804 Emancipation Law, which gradually freed New Jersey slaves, and aims to provide an in-depth look at the issue of slavery within the early years of the United States. The conference ties in with the University’s annual Abram Kartch/Thomas Jefferson Lecture Series begun in 1985 after Abram Kartch, a retired Paterson businessman and Jefferson scholar, provided William Paterson with an endowment to establish and continue the series. It is designed to provoke discussion about the relationship of Jefferson's words and thoughts to modern society.

The event will be divided into three one-hour sessions. One session focuses on the founding fathers’ views on slavery, another on different proposals and schemes for freeing slaves, and the third will include a discussion on New Jersey’s 1804 Emancipation Law.

Presenters participating in the conference include Suzanne Bowles, assistant history professor and author of several books on early American history; Terrence Finnegan, chairperson of the history department and a nineteenth century American historian; and George Robb, associate history professor and author of numerous works on legal and criminal history.

This program is sponsored by the University’s History Department, The Center for Continuing Education and Distance Learning and The Abram Kartch/Thomas Jefferson Lecture Committee.

Registration fee is $45 for educators, $25 for William Paterson graduate students and $5 for William Paterson undergraduates. For further information on enrollment contact Joanne Ciriello at the Center for Continuing Education and Distance Learning, 973-720-2436 or email cirielloj@wpunj.edu.

For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966

4/15/04