Proposals sought for Maine Statehood and Bicentennial Conference
The Maine State Bicentennial Conference Committee at the University of Maine seeks presentation proposals that explore all aspects of the Maine statehood process and the bicentennial for the event that will be held next spring.
The Maine Statehood and Bicentennial Conference will be held May 30–June 1, 2019 on the UMaine campus with a field trip to Augusta. It will be open to the public for a nominal fee, and participation from local cultural organizations as well as middle and high school teachers and students is encouraged.
Scheduled keynote speakers for the event are Alan Taylor, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Chair in American History at the University of Virginia; and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard University.
A majority of voters in the District of Maine chose to separate from Massachusetts in July 1819, and Maine became the 23rd state in the country in March 1820. The conference organizers seek to take advantage of how the bicentennial moment encourages public reflection and a deeper understanding of the relatively distant past for the present and future of Maine and its people.
Proposals for papers, panels, workshops, posters, websites, films and performances should be submitted to desiree.butterfield@maine.edu by July 15. The committee intends to publish an essay collection related to Maine statehood and the bicentennial following the conference.
Complete submission details and more about the Maine Statehood and Bicentennial Conference is online. For additional information, email Liam Riordan, riordan@maine.edu.