The
exhibition explores the youth of Frederick Douglass, born a slave in Maryland
in 1818, who after his escape to New York in 1838 became one of the most famous
men in nineteenth-century America. Douglass fought to end slavery and
championed civil rights for all Americans. His autobiography, published in
1845, was a powerful weapon in the abolitionist cause, and a bestseller in the
United States. The exhibition poses the question: What aspects of his youth
shaped his determination to be free?
Frederick Douglass from
Slavery to Freedom: The Journey to New York City was developed from his
autobiography, Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History. The exhibition was curated by Susan F. Saidenberg.
The
exhibition has been displayed at schools, museums, libraries, and historic
sites across the country.
“Through
digital reproductions of letters, photographs, and broadsides, the exhibition
invites visitors to learn about the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass,”
said Matthew Pannkuk, director of the SCCC/ATS Library. “We hope this
exhibition will help our patrons gain a deeper understanding of Douglass’ quest
for freedom and the difficult choices he made. These choices can resonate for
Americans today who are facing great challenges in achieving their goals and
dreams.”
The
SCCC/ATS Library is open Monday through Thursday from 7:45 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Library
is closed on Saturdays.
For
more information, you can contact the SCCC/ATS Library at (620) 417-1160.
About
the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Founded in 1994 by Richard
Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
is a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education.
The Institute has developed an array of programs for schools, teachers, and
students that now operate in all fifty states, including a website that
features the more than 60,000 unique historical documents in the Gilder Lehrman
Collection, www.gilderlehrman.org.
Each year the Institute offers support and resources to tens of thousands of
teachers, and through them enhances the education of more than a million
students. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the
White House, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Organization of
American Historians.