White House History Live: Spectacle of Grief

Join us in learning more about White House History right from your own home. Our Facebook Live series, White House History Live, delves into the stories that make up the history of the Executive Mansion.

Dr. Sarah J. Purcell joins us to discuss her book Spectacle of Grief: Public Funerals and Memory in the Civil War Era which examines how funerals of major figures from that era allowed a diverse set of people to contribute to changing American national identities. Purcell will also discuss how mourning rituals for figures like Col. Elmer Ellsworth, whose White House funeral galvanized Union troops and deeply affected President Lincoln at the beginning of the war, distilled political and social anxieties.

This event will be live streamed on the White House Historical Association's Facebook and YouTube pages starting at 5:30 pm ET on May 14.