Finkelman

MARIETTA – A free presentation marking the anniversary of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 will feature legal historian and constitutional law expert Paul Finkelman.

As the author of more than 50 books on American history, Finkelman will explore how this landmark document shaped the nation’s growth, prohibited slavery in the territory and established early civil liberties, according to a press release from the Northwest Territory Museum Society.

Finkelman has held visiting professorships at the University of Akron, Cleveland State University and the University of Toledo and a special chair at the University of Cincinnati. He has recently had scholarly work published on Justice John McLean, the first Ohioan to serve on the United States Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court has cited his work in seven decisions, as have many other courts, including in Ohio.

In addition to his historical expertise, Finkelman will share insights from his current efforts with the Ohio America 250 initiative, which commemorates the United States’ semiquincentennial milestone. He will discuss the connection between the revolutionary ideals of the nation’s founding to the civil rights legacy of the Northwest Ordinance and national projects designed to educate the public on America’s complicated path toward liberty and equality.

The morning program will start at 10 a.m. Monday, July 13, at Muskingum Park, with the Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard, followed by patriotic music as the Marietta Symphony Orchestra Quartet performs a selection of beloved American classics.

The evening program will begin at 6 p.m. at the Campus Martius Museum with a short performance by cast members of “One Vote! The Musical,” a new production by playwrights Larry Groce and Todd Burge that interprets the history surrounding Ephraim Cutler’s one vote that kept slavery out of Ohio’s Constitution.

The programs are free and open to the public.

Additional programming includes:

* 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 11 – “History in the Park” – History exhibits and reenactors in Muskingum Park. For additional info, visit https://www.cwrtmov.org/

* 6 p.m. Monday, July 13 – Northwest Territory Museum – Campus Martius; Paul Finkelman – Discussion: “The Creation of Ohio, After the Ordinance”. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program is free to attend. For additional program information, contact jean.yost@gmail.com or call 740-336-8060.

The morning event is outdoors, under the temporary protective shelter covering the Start Westward monument. In case of rain, the program will take place at the First Congregational Church at 318 Front St., Marietta.

Celebration Committee Co-Chairs include: Marietta Mayor Josh Schlicher; former Ohio Gov. Nancy Hollister; Dr. Sharon Barnett, board member of the Multicultural Genealogical Center; Patty Ullman, Marietta Daughters of the American Revolution; Jean Yost, Marietta Chapter Sons of the American Revolution; Erin Augustine, director, Northwest Territory Museum – Campus Martius and the Ohio River Museum; Scott Britton, director, Castle Museum & Sons of the American Revolution historian.

For additional program information, contact jean.yost@gmail.com, call 740-336-8060 or visit www.mariettasar.com.