March/April 2000

Editor's Note

The 2000 Jefferson Lecture

The War That Never Goes Away
Jefferson Lecturer James M. McPherson talks with NEH Chairman William R. Ferris about the Civil War and the long shadows it still casts over the American landscape.

Touring the Battlefields
A colleague pays tribute to a fellow historian and tireless traveling companion. By Gary Gallagher

Excerpts
McPherson's books capture the complexity of the Civil War and the connections between battlefront and home front.

The Art of Poetry

Celebrating American Poetry
A new anthology captures the raw and kinetic energy of a nation celebrating its cultural independence. By Rachel Galvin.

Songs of Sephardim
Scholars are saving the ballads and poetry of a dispersed people. By Pedro Ponce

American Political Biography

Racism to Redemption
A new film reveals George C. Wallace as a man who made a Faustian bargain for power but sought forgiveness at life's end. By Maggie Riechers

Literary Profiles

Fifth National Black Writers Conference
NEH supports a conference on black literature in American life. By Lynn Erskine

A Dakar Journal
Twenty-five high school teachers are immersed in French-speaking West Africa. By Thomas M. Adams

Around the Nation

Glory of Russia
The treasures of the Romanovs dazzle visitors. By Richard Carter.