2023 Indiana Association of Historians Thornbrough Lecture

This year’s lecture, “We Ask Only for Evenhanded Justice: Fighting the Black Laws in the Antebellum Midwest,” will be given by Dr. Kate Masur

What were the Midwestern “black laws” and how were they eventually repealed? Prof. Masur will discuss her research on the under-appreciated first civil rights movement, exploring how Black Midwesterners and their white allies fought for racial equality in the lower midwestern states of Ohio, Illinois and Indiana.

Kate Masur is the Board of Visitors Professor at Northwestern University, where she has taught in the History Department since 2005. Her recent book, Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History and winner of three other book prizes. With a team of students and staff at Northwestern, she recently completed the web exhibit, “Black Organizing in Pre-Civil War Illinois: Creating Community, Demanding Justice.” She frequently consults with K-12 educators, museums, and the National Park Service.

The Thornbrough Lecture is an annual series organized by the Indiana Association of Historians (IAH). This year’s lecture is co-sponsored by the IAH and the Indiana Historical Society.