FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK, NY (MAY 31, 2006) – On May 31st, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History announced the winners of the 2006 Civil War Essay Contest. The contest, open only to students in Gilder Lehrman schools, is designed to enhance knowledge of the Civil War era and reward outstanding research and writing.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the Civil War Round Table of New York sponsor the contest, which is in its eighth year. Winners were selected by a panel of jurors from both organizations based on use of primary sources; clearness and originality of thesis; organization of the essay; correct documentation of sources; and quality of writing. 147 students from 14 Gilder Lehrman schools participated in the contest.

The following prizes will be awarded: First Prize ($1,000); Second Prize ($750); Third Prize ($500); Honorable Mention ($100). The school of the First Prize winner will receive a $500 honorarium.

First Prize: Jean Dahlquist, Milwaukee High School of the Arts (WI),
“The Monitor, the Merrimac, and the Martyr”

Second Prize: Catherine G. Clark, Milwaukee High School of the Arts (WI),
“Rebels Among Rebels: Southern Unionists in the Civil War”

Third Prize: Christina Maldonado, Notre Dame School (NY),
“Ulysses S. Grant: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of an American Hero”

Honorable Mention: (in alphabetical order)

Samantha O. Alcala, Notre Dame School (NY),
“Education v. Ejookashun”

Yusuke Asai, Academy of American Studies (NY),
“Confederate Strategy During the Civil War”

Kim Bruno, Patchogue-Medford High School (NY),
“Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address”

Ashley Nelson, Academy of American Studies (NY),
“The Civil War and the Documentation of History”

Tina Olayimika, Eleanor Roosevelt High School (MD),
“The Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln’s Stand Against Slavery”

Jillian Schofield, Glen Este High School (OH),
“The Women Behind the War: Female Spies in the Civil War”

Drew Williams, Milwaukee High School of the Arts (WI),
“Friend, Mascot, Hero: The Role of the Animal in the Civil War”

The First, Second, and Third Prize winners will be flown to New York City in June for the Civil War Essay Contest Award Dinner.

“It’s wonderful to see the next generation become interested in history – especially the Civil War,” said Conrad Eberstein of the Civil War Round Table of New York.

“These students have shown their passion and skill as researchers and writers of American history,” said Lesley Herrmann, Executive Director of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History sponsors 31 history schools and 14 Saturday academies nationwide. Gilder Lehrman history schools are rigorous, college-preparatory schools centered on American history. They have a track record of raising test scores and sending more than 90 percent of graduating seniors to college. At the core of these schools is a four-year sequence of courses in American history. In many of these schools, the entire student body participates in the Gilder Lehrman program. In other schools, a select portion of the student body participates.

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. Increasingly national and international in scope, the Institute targets audiences ranging from students to scholars to the general public. It creates history-centered schools and academic research centers, organizes seminars and enrichment programs for educators, partners with school districts to implement Teaching American History grants, produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions, and sponsors lectures by eminent historians. The Institute also funds awards including the Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and George Washington Book Prizes and offers fellowships for scholars to work in history archives, including the Gilder Lehrman Collection.