April

Great COEments in History: Exploring Coe College’s History from the Civil War to the World Wars to the Civil Rights Movement

Bethany Keenan, Henrietta Arnold Associate Professor of History
Brie Swenson Arnold, William P . and Gayle S. Whipple Professor of History 
April  2, 9, 16, 23

The 175th anniversary of Coe College’s founding offers an occasion to peek into the history of this long-lived institution. Coe’s past is rich with stories that shed light on far more than just the history of the college. In this four-week forum, Associate Professor of History Bethany Keenan and Professor of History Brie Swenson Arnold will highlight notable people and events in Coe College’s fascinating past and their broader historical significance. In week one, we will explore the college’s founding and growth during its first 50 years. We will trace the story of the college’s namesake, Daniel Coe, during the turbulent Civil War era and the experiences of the college’s earliest student generations. In weeks two and three, we will look into how the college changed during the early 20th century, when the United States experienced two world wars, an influenza epidemic and other disruptions. We will especially follow the experiences of famous alumnus William Shirer, Class of 1925, from his time as a Coe student to his reporting in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s, including the rise of the Nazi party and the outbreak of World War II. In week four, we will discuss Coe’s connections to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1940s-1970s. We will highlight Coe student activism in Iowa and Mississippi, the 1962 visit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to Coe’s campus and the creation of student organizations like BSEO (Black Self-Educated Organization). Throughout, the series will share compelling stories and unique sources uncovered in the Coe Archives to show how Coe College shaped and was shaped by larger historical events.