Event is Complimentary and Open to the Public on December 1

(Columbia, Tenn. - November 23, 2010) - - - Columbia State Instructor of History Thomas Flagel will present an engaging and entertaining discussion on Abraham Lincoln Divorce Lawyer on Wednesday, December 1 at 6 p.m. in the Waymon L. Hickman building, room 122 on the Columbia Campus. The lecture will focus on Lincoln and his law practice, the strained and evolving laws of matrimony in the nineteenth century, and how "the good old days" may be the biggest myth in the American mindset. The event is sponsored by Columbia State Community College's Humanities and Social Sciences division and is complimentary and open to the public.

It is a little known aspect about the famous sixteenth president's earlier career that he was a strong divorce lawyer representing women in cases that had ramifications far beyond the nineteenth century. The brilliant, taciturn, and legendary leader was a long time attorney and tried many legal cases.

"He was President for four years, but he was a lawyer for more than a quarter century," said Thomas Flagel, Instructor of History at Columbia State. "In his long legal career, Abraham Lincoln presided in more than 140 divorce cases, many of which involved physical and mental abuse, abandonment, infidelity, and worse."

Flagel teaches American History at Columbia State and is a national speaker, especially on topics concerning the Civil War. He has written several books including the recently released second edition of The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War.

This lecture is part of the New Ideas in the Humanities and Social Sciences lecture series which emphasizes topics that are new to the public or issues that have been rediscovered and re-lionized in recent years. The series of presentations will be held on select Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the Waymon L. Hickman building on the Columbia Campus.

For more information on this lecture or the entire lecture series, contact Dr. Stuart Lenig, Professor of Communications and Drama, at (931) 540-2877 or by emailing slenig@columbiastate.edu.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.

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