I am an assistant professor of history at the university of maryland. Im going to be chairing the panel. Im going to offer some brief comments, some thoughts and questions i had to start generating conversation. Our threeto introduce presenters. If we are going to go in the order they appear on the program. They will speak for roughly 20 minutes. Our first presenter is going to be Graham Hodges. He has written on africanamericans and labor in new york city. He has written a political biography on underground railroad activities. He is working on a book and we will hear his ideas about the the secondrea printer is going to be as associate professor of history at northwestern university. U. S. After the war and emancipation. Our third presenter is going to be philip prop. Troutman. He is working on a project that essentially explores of the literature and the images of radical antislavery during the antebellum period. We will hear about his approach that combination of literature and ima