LancasterHistory.org kicks off the 2018 Presidential Lecture series on Friday, September 28, 2018 with Dr. Randall Miller for 1858: The Fateful (Fatal) Year for Buchanan’s Presidency? Miller’s presentation will explore the variety of challenges faced by President James Buchanan during his second year in office. Among these challenges, Miller will focus upon two particular topics: the impact of the President’s support of the Lecompton Constitution and the Democratic Party’s losses during the 1858 mid-term elections.

Randall M. Miller (A.B., Hope College; M.A. & Ph.D., Ohio State University) is the William Dirk Warren `50 Sesquicentennial Chair and Professor of History at Saint Joseph’s University. He is the author or editor of numerous books, which treat such various topics as African-American culture and life, slavery, religion, social reform, popular culture, politics, regional cultures (especially the American South and the Mid-Atlantic), colonial life, the American Revolution, Civil War and Reconstruction, urban affairs, mass media, and ethnic and immigrant history. Among these, he probably is best known for his award-winning book, “Dear Master”: Letters of a Slave Family (Cornell University Press; rev. & enlarged ed., University of Georgia Press). His most recent book, as co-author, is The Northern Home Front during the Civil War (Praeger, 2017). He is the author of more than 80 articles and essays on topics such as slavery, race, immigration and ethnicity, religion, cities, reform, politics, mass media, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and regional cultures (especially the American South and the Mid-Atlantic).

Event Information: This event takes place in Ryder Hall at LancasterHistory.org. A social gathering begins at 4pm, followed by the lecture at 4:30pm. The event is free and open to the public. At this time, no advanced reservations are required.