Annual History lecture to celebrate academic’s book publication

The University’s history team are delighted to announce details of their Annual History Lecture, due to take place on campus on Thursday 11th December. 

This year, the lecture is to be delivered by Dr Tim Galsworthy, Lecturer in History and Military History, and serve as a celebration event for the publication of his new book – The Republican House Divided. 

Starting at 5:30pm in the Robert Hardy Lecture Theatre, attendees can expect discussions of the key findings of Dr Galsworthy’s research and demonstrations of how considering Republicans’ relationships with memories of the American Civil War provides greater understanding of political, social, and cultural transformations during the civil rights era. 

The Annual History Lecture is free to attend, and booking is not required. Copies of the book will not be available to purchase at the lecture, but Dr Galsworthy will be available to sign any pre-purchased copies that you are welcome to bring along. 

Dr Galsworthy shared more about where it all began and his key takeaway: “The book started out as my PhD thesis and evolved from there. My inspiration was when Donald Trump was elected on my birthday in 2016, which felt like a sign that I had to understand what had happened!

“If readers take away one thing, I hope it is that the Republican Party of today, the party of Trump and Make America Great Again (MAGA), did not appear in a vacuum and is the product of much longer historical processes.

“For interested staff and students, there will be an accessible copy of my book available in the History department!” 

With a publication day of Thursday 20^th November, The Republican House Divided is available to purchase here from the University of South Carolina Press – use code JSAVE20 for a 20% discount. The book is also available to purchase here for UK readers. 

The blurb: 

The Republican House Divided is the first comprehensive study of the relationships between the Republican Party and Civil War memory in the twentieth century. Tim Galsworthy reveals how rival Republicans deployed Civil War memory to support, oppose, and ultimately shape the GOP's transformation, during the civil rights era, into a racially conservative party. Drawing on extensive archival research, Galsworthy underlines how references to the past were vitally important to Republican Party politicians as they negotiated their party's positions toward African American civil rights and attempted to appeal to erstwhile white Southern Democrats. The Republican House Divided is a timely work, offering insight into how the "Party of Lincoln" started on the road to becoming the GOP of today.