By Taylor Paraboschi

History came alive last Tuesday and Wednesday as faculty, students and professional actors alike came together to put on a series of performances, depicting monumental figures and events in American History, as part of the University’s Educate ’08 activities.

Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas were just some of many historical figures that came alive to discuss and debate their stances on important issues, such as women’s rights, civil rights and the progressive movement.

George Frein, who portrayed Abraham Lincoln at the event, said that the point of the performance was to “help people think about the democracy that they live in.” He also went on to say that the performances were also held to better educate people and help them understand history by having them “look at it through the minds of historic figures.”

Lynn C. Miller, author of “The Fool’s Journey” and “The Death of a Department Chair,” affirmed that the overall purpose of the performances was to act as a “teaching process for people.” “Our job was to introduce a person of value to people. To show that history isn’t this dead thing, and that you can really interact with it.”

One event depicted a mock slave auction of an escaped slave, Pinky. The slave auction was held in the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, where Pastor Henry Ward Beecher won the freedom for nine-year-old Sally “Pinky” Diggs at a cost of $900. After she was granted her freedom, Beecher presented her with a ring that was placed in the collection box and stated, “With this ring, I thee wed you to your freedom.” Pinky later returned to the congregation in 1926 to return the ring and share her successes with the people that made them possible.

Another event was held between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas impersonators, who reenacted the three major meetings between the two. The first meeting between the two influential men was when Frederick Douglas went to speak to the president about the necessities black soldiers were not receiving. “I was troubled to see that black soldiers were not receiving equal pay, protection and promotions in the United States Army, so i went to President Lincoln and told him of my concerns. He told me he would look into it and he did,” Said Charles Everett Pace, the Frederick Douglas impersonator. Pace , in character goes on to say that the meetings between the two men proved to people that a “person could change,” and that it really was possible for “a black and white person to look at and connect with one another as human beings.”