Justice 101: The Legacy of America: Dissent and the Justice System
Thursday, July 02, 2026
12:00 - 12:30pm EST
Join us for a fireside chat exploring how America’s founding ideals of liberty and dissent have shaped our justice system from the 1800s to the present day.
Featuring guest speaker Matthew Pinsker, D.Phil (Professor of History, Dickinson College), this discussion will center on a 1847 fugitive slave case with direct ties to Eastern State Penitentiary, uncovering a historic conspiracy to resist injustice through new research from prison records. We will connect these historical roots to contemporary movements, highlighting how everyday acts of dissent continue to demand representation and human dignity.
This program is supported by National Endowment for the Humanities.
About the Panelists:
Matthew Pinsker, D.Phil
Professor of History, Dickinson College
Matthew Pinsker is a professor of history at Dickinson College where he teaches courses in U.S. political, legal and diplomatic history. His research focuses on the career of Abraham Lincoln, partisanship in the Civil War era, American constitutionalism, the Underground Railroad and the history of U.S. campaigns and elections.
He is a distinguished Lincoln scholar and award-winning author of acclaimed books including “Lincoln's Sanctuary: Abraham Lincoln and The Soldiers' Home” and “Boss Lincoln: The Partisan Life of Abraham Lincoln”. He earned a B.A. at Harvard University and a D. Phil. at the University of Oxford.
We strive to make the penitentiary and our site, programs, and exhibits accessible to all visitors. Click here to learn more about accessibility and accommodations at ESPHS.
This program is part of Justice 101, a discussion series that dives into some of the most pressing issues in criminal justice today, through a historical lens and with a focus on civic education. Each program includes interactive elements, expert voices, and opportunities for community dialogue.
This program is part of A Time for Liberty: Our Shared History, Our Shared Future, a yearlong slate of free, inclusive programs exploring the evolving meanings of liberty and justice in America. A Time for Liberty is made possible with support from civic and cultural partners including the City of Philadelphia, America250PA, Campus250, the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial, the Philadelphia City Fund’s 2026 Milestone Grant Fund, supported by PECO, the National Trust Preservation Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program series, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
