BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Minnesota Independent Scholars Forum
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:UTC
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0000
TZOFFSETTO:+0000
TZNAME:UTC
DTSTART:20240101T000000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250927T103000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250927T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20250618T155318Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T144009Z
UID:3432-1758969000-1758974400@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Electricity\, Magnetism and Birds
DESCRIPTION:When we consider how physics applies to birds\, we are inclined to think about topics such as the aerodynamics of flight\, the mechanics of feathers and bills\, the optics enabling eagle vision\, the pigments and structural features that produce vibrant colors\, the thermodynamic demands of living under temperature extremes\, or the acoustics of birdsong. We tend not to associate the seemingly more esoteric fields of electricity and magnetism with our avian neighbors\, but there are fascinating ways in which they are relevant. This presentation will review several examples\, with a focus on the mechanism by which birds are thought to perceive the earth’s magnetic field as an aid for navigation.\n\n\n \n\nMichael Hurben earned his PhD in physics from Colorado State University in 1996\, where his research focused on magnetic resonance in ferrite materials. He has worked in academic and industrial settings\, including over two decades in the magnetic recording industry. He is an avid naturalist and birder\, and has accumulated a life list exceeding 5\,000 bird species despite being legally blind. He is the author of The Physics of Birds and Birding(Pelagic\, 2025).
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/electricity-magnetism-and-birds/
LOCATION:Shoreview Library\, 4560 Victoria St N\, Shoreview\, MN\, 55126
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-Physics-of-Birds-and-Birding.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251008T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251008T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20251001T143537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T143643Z
UID:3491-1759950000-1759957200@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:We will continue discussing the book\, Caste: The Origins of our Discontents\, by Isabel Wilkerson\, by reading Sections 3 and 4. In these sections Wilkerson gets into the heart of how caste operates\, and it’s not very pretty. We hope that you can join us. All of our regulars should be there\, but some of us are not very pretty either. \n  \n 
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-86/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Caste-The-Origins-of-our-Discontents.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251025T103000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251025T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20250914T041842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T002856Z
UID:3477-1761388200-1761393600@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Christian Nationalism: A Dangerous Manifestation of a Deeper Problem
DESCRIPTION:Christian Nationalism is a political ideology and movement that understands the United States as founded as a White Protestant Evangelical Christian Nation. They believe secular liberal democracy has failed God’s America by taking their version of Christianity out of government and the public schools\, tolerated ethnic\, religious\, and sexual diversity\, and enabled the decline of Christianity in America.\n\nThe result is decadence\, decline\, and division in their understanding of God’s America. White Evangelical Christian Nationalists are called by God to restore righteousness in America. That means that the United States should be declared a Christian Nation according to their understanding of Christian. White Evangelical Protestant Christians and their churches should be restored to their rightful privileged position\, and the rule of law in America and in public education should be guided by conservative evangelical Christian beliefs and values. How did this movement come about and is it the future of America? Should we fear it or see it as an expression of the beliefs of one of many groups in this country? Do we see positive value in at least part of its message? Why is Christian Nationalism such a force in politics and thought? \nGrant Abbott\, former executive director of the Saint Paul Area Council of Churches\, is an Episcopal priest. He’s the convener of the “Real American History Book Group: Learning the Whole Story.” He lives in St. Paul
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/christian-nationalism-a-dangerous-manifestation-of-a-deeper-problem/
LOCATION:Maplewood Library\, 3025 Southlawn Dr\, Maplewood\, MN\, 55109
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Christian-Nationalism.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251112T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251112T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20251107T150858Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251107T151118Z
UID:3509-1762974000-1762981200@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:The MISF Philosophy Study Group is going to have their next meeting on Wednesday\, November 12\, at 7:00 pm via Zoom. We will conclude our discussion of the book\, Caste: The Origins of our Discontents\, by Isabel Wilkerson. In the last parts of her book\, Wilkerson discusses the more subtle\, unconscious ways caste can impact society; the resilience of caste; and what can be done to counter this.\n \nAt this point I planned on including a really clever comment designed to make everyone smile. However\, considering the gravity of the topic and our current political climate\, saying something amusing didn’t seem appropriate. Even if you don’t attend our meeting\, I hope you can still read this excellent book as well as other writings concerning our current situation. I regard today’s circumstances as an existential threat to our democracy\, fueled by scapegoating and racism. But the MISF Philosophy Study Group is doing their part by eliminating all of our hereditary positions. (Sorry\, couldn’t help it.)\n\nCurt
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-87/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Caste-The-Origins-of-our-Discontents.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251115T103000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251115T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20251015T232853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251117T013856Z
UID:3498-1763202600-1763208000@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Mystery in the Midwest
DESCRIPTION:Is the modern American mystery novel the most important literature being written today? Why do private eyes and\nfictional detectives continue to fascinate us? Do we want all our problems neatly solved or see proof that crime\nreally doesn’t pay? Or do we just want to have fun? Maybe we should ask the expert or have a chance to see how\neven Minnesota can be a place where dark alley ways\, seedy dives\, and the homes of the rich and famous can be a\ngateway to a sinister world. Do we want to find out? Of course\, we do.\n\n \n\n\n\n\nA past President of the Private Eye Writers of America\, David Housewright won a prestigious Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America and three Minnesota Book Awards for his Rushmore McKenzie and Holland Taylor private eye novels as well as other tales of murder and mayhem in the Midwest. He has published 31 novels including Them Bones (St. Martin’s Minotaur) and Girl In A Dumpster (Down and Out Books).  He earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America\, a Shamus nomination from the PWA\, and three Minnesota Books Awards. A reformed newspaper reporter and ad man\, he also taught at the University of Minnesota and Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. He was recently added to “Minnesota Writers on the Map” by the Minnesota Historical Society and Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. www.davidhousewright.com”
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/mystery-in-the-midwest/
LOCATION:Shoreview Library\, 4560 Victoria St N\, Shoreview\, MN\, 55126
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Them-Bones.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251210T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251210T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20251206T044405Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251206T045033Z
UID:3527-1765393200-1765400400@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:For this meeting we are going to discuss three different existentialist works of fiction\, two by Jean Paul Sartre and one by Earnest Hemingway. The former includes the short story “The Wall” and the play “No Exit”. The Hemingway work is another short story\, “A Clean\, Well-Lighted Place.”\n\n\nAll these are available online. Commentaries on each of them are also available. Read the three and see what they say to you regarding your existence. I mean\, beyond just the fact that you’re still alive.\n\nCurt\n \nHere are three sites they can be found.\n\nThe Wall\nhttps://www.scribd.com/document/662934896/OceanofPDF-com-the-Wall-Jean-Paul-Sartre\n\nNo Exit\nhttps://ia600303.us.archive.org/13/items/NoExit/NoExit.pdf\n\nA Clean\, Well-Lighted Place\nHemingway pages
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-88/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Existentiaism.jpg-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260114T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260114T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20251218T033534Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251218T033534Z
UID:3542-1768417200-1768424400@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION: We will be studying the book\, The Boxer and the Goalkeeper: Sartre Vs Camus (2012)\, by Andy Martin. A new copy of this book can be had for around $20\, but there seems to be plenty of used copies. It appears that there is no e-book available in this country.\nThe book is about the friendship and eventual falling out of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. It’s aimed at the general reader who has some familiarity with philosophy\, or at least existentialism\, and is not a difficult read. It even has pictures. For the 14th\, we’ll read the first 10 chapters. That’s READ the first 10 chapters\, not just look at the pictures. The book is not that easy.\nCurt
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-89/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Boxer-and-the-Goalkeeper.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260124T103000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260124T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20251125T195418Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260124T231952Z
UID:3516-1769250600-1769256000@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:The Origin Story of Fort Road/West Seventh Street
DESCRIPTION:In 2024\, out of a series of neighborhood (garden tour) histories along West Seventh Street\, Joe Landsberger combined them into a narrative origin of Saint Paul and Minnesota. He came to realize historians ignored these first neighborhoods and commercial strip in the history of our state. It grew to 420 pages illustrated with 1069 vintage and commissioned images documented with 246 endnotes. The first edition sold out quickly in January/February 2025. After buyers reported more stories\, a second was enhanced/published August 2025. The self-published history\, locally sourced and locally promoted\, committed all proceeds to nonprofits. The presentation\, process and product\, accentuates contributions of immigrants and volunteers. \n \nJoe Landsberger is a lifelong resident of Saint Paul: 30 years on its West Side\, 50 on West Seventh with a break of three in West Africa. His educational journey included thirty years developing the central computer lab/learning center at a university (1976 – 2006). He researched\, authored and developed an educational website of study guides and strategies (1995-2012) that was translated into 38 languages with 54\,767\,483 visitors accessing 118\,365\,575 webpages.  As a community volunteer\, he founded West End Arts and developed a public art park\, served as president of Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota\, the West Seventh Business Association\, and is a member of Citizen Advocates for Regional Transit (CART). His editorial skills were polished in his community newspaper.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/the-origin-story-of-fort-road-west-seventh-street/
LOCATION:Shoreview Library\, 4560 Victoria St N\, Shoreview\, MN\, 55126
CATEGORIES:History,Program
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Origin-Story-cover.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260211T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260211T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260120T183023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260120T183023Z
UID:3548-1770836400-1770843600@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:We will conclude our discussion of the book\, The Boxer and the Goalkeeper: Sartre Vs Camus\, by Andy Martin. In spite of rumors to the contrary\, our next book will not be The Commie and the Nazi: Marx vs Heidegger. There is a possibility that we could do The Wrestler and the Fencer: Plato vs Descartes\, however. But whatever is decided\, it will be done by those who show up. Jus’ sayin’.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-90/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Boxer-and-the-Goalkeeper.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260228T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260228T113000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260127T022109Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260301T034543Z
UID:3559-1772272800-1772278200@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Woman's World: Women Artists in Russia
DESCRIPTION:Where in the world are the women artists?  The answer:  In the Russian Empire and Soviet Union.  This ppt presentation traces the ways in which women artists were vital to the development of their culture’s visual artistry. Textile artists\, painters\, folk artists and non-conformist women contributed both to their own country and to the international scene.\n\nCarol Veldman Rudie is coordinator of outreach education at the Museum of Russian Art. She has been lead docent there since 2005 and developed its docent training programs. Her special interest involves forming and educating groups to tour Russia. Her Ph.D. work at the U of MN includes a minor in Art History.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/womans-world-women-artists-in-russia/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Program
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Russian-Women-Artists.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260311T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260311T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260218T022135Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260218T022135Z
UID:3577-1773255600-1773262800@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:We will begin discussing the book\, The Subversive Simone Weil: A Life in Five Ideas (2023)\, by Robert Zaretsky. This book is available new for around $15 in either paperback or as an eBook. For the 11th we’ll read the introduction and chapters 1 and 2.\nSimone Weil was a 20th century French philosopher and mystic who was only 34 when she died\, but her writings have been enormously influential. She strongly believed that one’s philosophy should be lived. The MISF Philosophy Study Group thinks that\, too\, and will do it if we ever figure things out.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-91/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-Subversive-Simone-Weil-A-Life-in-Five-Ideas-.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260328T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260328T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260304T220309Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T001000Z
UID:3583-1774692000-1774699200@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:From Memoir to Fiction and Today's Publishing World
DESCRIPTION:Vince Wyckoff will reveal the backstory to his first work of non-fiction\, Beware of Cat\, and Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier\, and how it nearly cost him his career amid threats of federal felony charges. His Black Otter Bay mystery series has been met with less drama\, but strong reviews and a loyal following of readers.\n\n \n\nBorn and raised in Columbia Heights\, Minn\, Mr. Wyckoff attended the University of Minnesota and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. His first book\, “Beware of Cat\,” celebrates the stories of people on his mail route. For a short time\, he lived on the north shore of Lake Superior\, from which he developed the background for Black Otter Bay\, his first work of fiction and a finalist for the 2016 Midwest Independent Publishers Award. This was followed by a sequel\, Nightwatchers\, and the third installment\, Refuge From the Sea. His stories have been published in several local periodicals as well as the anthology\, Home. Wyckoff and his wife\, Sybil\, live in Minneapolis. They have two children and four grandchildren.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/from-memoir-to-fiction-and-todays-publishing-world/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Beware-of-Cat.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260408T190000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260408T210000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260408T032044Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T032044Z
UID:3618-1775674800-1775682000@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Philosophy Study Group
DESCRIPTION:We are finishing our discussion of the book\, The Subversive Simone Weil: A Life in Five Ideas\, by Robert Zaretsky. The last parts of the book cover Weil’s concepts of rootedness and her own mystical version of Catholicism. Even though most people aren’t convinced by the latter\, they still regard her analysis of social roots as her primary contribution to philosophy. However you may feel\, we hope you’re rooting for us as we dig into her ideas.\nCurt
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/philosophy-study-group-92/
LOCATION:via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Philosophy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-Subversive-Simone-Weil-A-Life-in-Five-Ideas-.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260425T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260425T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260305T030721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T030721Z
UID:3592-1777111200-1777118400@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Black Arts Minnesota: An Autoethnographic Approach 
DESCRIPTION:This talk demonstrates how archival research and artistic practices bear witness to a Black presence in Minnesota dating as far back as the 1860s.\n\nA North Minneapolis native and fifth-generation Minnesotan\, Davu Underwood Seru currently serves as the Curator of the Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life at the University of Minnesota. Formerly\, Davu was an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of English at Hamline University where he taught courses in research\, writing and literature\, for which received the prestigious Dr. Colleen S. Bell Outstanding Faculty Award. Additionally\, he is co-author of the book Sights\, Sounds\, Soul: The Twin Cities Through the Lens of Charles Chamblis (MNHS Press 2017) and is an award-winning\, internationally recognized drummer and composer.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/black-arts-minnesota-an-autoethnographic-approach/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Sights-Sound-Soul.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260516T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260516T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260415T165652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T165652Z
UID:3629-1778925600-1778932800@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:Poetry Day
DESCRIPTION:Morgan will do a retrospective reading\, a sort of live-time selected and new gathering of poems highlighting work from different periods in her life as a poet. She will also share examples of her explorations into the book arts\, including her artist book Collage for Mina Loy and Stitch by Stitch\, the anthology which accompanied the Quilt\, Not Quilt exhibition at Minnesota Center for Book Arts \n\n\n\n\nMorgan has published poetry collections and chapbooks with titles such as Dodge & Scramble\, Between\, Silk\, Oddly Enough\, The Maps are Words\, Arpeggio of Appetite\, and Spinnerets. The journals and anthologies in which her poetry has appeared include: Ecopoetics; Resist Much/Obey Little; Queer Voices (Minnesota Historical Society Press); Water~Stone Review; Saint Paul Almanac; When We Become Weavers: Queer Female Poets on the Midwestern Experience; About Place Journal. Morgan’s creative nonfiction publications include “Riding Shotgun for Stanley Home Products” in Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers (MHS/Borealis Books). Her essay “Signs of the Time” earned an honorable mention in the inaugural Judith Kitchen Prize in Water~Stone Review #14\, and her lyric essay “(Un)Document(ing)\,” which appeared in Water~Stone Review #22\, was nominated for a Pushcart prize. Her work has garnered awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board\, the McKnight Foundation\, the Jerome Foundation\, and the Witter Bynner Foundation. \nA student of the book arts\, Morgan completed the core certificate program at Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) and exhibited her artist’s book Collage for Mina Loy in 2016. She collaborated with three other poets in composing and hand crafting the limited edition chapbook Stitch by Stitch which accompanied Quilt\, Not Quit: The Afterlife\, an exhibition at MCBA in 2018. Morgan’s collages have been published online in Concision Poetry Magazine as well as in print in Saint Paul Almanac\, Volume 13. \nMorgan serves as teaching artist with The Loft Literary Center as well as the COMPAS Artful Aging program. Currently\, she is co-editing the anthology Nick of Time: Women Write about Art & Aging\, forthcoming from the University of Minnesota Press in fall 2026.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/poetry-day-4/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Poetry-Day.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260627T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260627T120000
DTSTAMP:20260418T234119
CREATED:20260305T033131Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T033131Z
UID:3599-1782554400-1782561600@mnindependentscholars.org
SUMMARY:The War at Home: Minnesota during the Great War\, 1914-1920
DESCRIPTION:Americans went to war in 1917 not only against Germany but also against each other at home.  The controversial declaration of war came during a contentious time when farmers and workers challenged the wealthy\, African Americans struggled against Jim Crow and lynchings\, women campaigned for suffrage\, and millions crusaded against alcohol.  In The War at Home\, Greg Gaut focuses on the lives of individual Minnesotans to tell the dramatic story of this period\, when the state experienced bitter polarization\, nativism\, flagrant disregard for democratic norms\, and intense\, occasionally violent\, confrontations.\n \nThe Minnesota Commission of Public Safety ruled the state with an iron hand during the war. Led by John F. McGee\, the commission pursued a “loyalty” campaign especially against trade unions and the Nonpartisan League. McGee’s most prominent adversary was Charles A. Lindbergh Sr.\, whom the Nonpartisan League nominated to challenge the governor in the fiercely contested 1918 primary.  Although Minnesota’s home front experience was the product of a particular confluence of events and personalities\, it raises issues about how democracy can give way to authoritarianism when economic inequality\, anti-immigrant nationalism\, and racism rule the day.\n\nGreg Gaut is an historian whose career has included two decades of teaching at a liberal arts college and a decade of work as an historic preservation consultant primarily preparing National Register of Historic Places nominations around the state of Minnesota. With his wife and co-author Marsha Neff\, he is a frequent contributor to Minnesota History\, and two of their articles won the David Gebhard Award for the best article on Minnesota’s built environment. A lover of libraries\, he published Laird’s Legacy: A History of the Winona Public Library and Reinventing the People’s Library\, a history of St. Paul’s Arlington Hills Public Library which is now the East Side Freedom Library. His article on a World War I espionage case\, Hardware Store Sedition: The Case of Charles W. Anding\, won the Solon J. Buck Award for the best article in Minnesota History for 2020. He holds a doctorate in Modern European and Russian history from the University of Minnesota.
URL:https://mnindependentscholars.org/event/the-war-at-home-minnesota-during-the-great-war-1914-1920/
LOCATION:Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Commons Room\, 41st and Lyndale\, Minneapolis
CATEGORIES:Monthly Forum
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://mnindependentscholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/The-War-at-Home.webp
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR