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FAIRFIELD, Conn. Two major pieces of American history are coming to Fairfield this fall. Documents signed by President Abraham Lincoln will be on display at the Fairfield Museum and History Center starting Sept. 23.
The museum will run an exhibit titled, Promise of Freedom: Emancipation Proclamation, through February to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Lincolns signing of the executive order to free slaves in the Confederacy.
The exhibit will include a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Lincoln himself. There will also be a Lincoln-signed copy of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery after the end of the Civil War.
We feel privileged to bring the Proclamation and the 13th Amendment to our Museum, Executive Director Michael Jehle said in a press release.
Though the highlight is the Proclamation, the exhibit will focus on the entire history of slavery in the U.S. and the continued civil rights struggle into the 20th century. Along with the Proclamation and the amendment, the display will include other historic documents, photographs, artifacts and paintings from before, during and after the Civil War.
The exhibit officially opens Sunday, Sept. 23 at noon, and will remain open until Feb. 24, 2013. A sneak preview of the exhibit will be a part of the museums annual benefit gala on Saturday, Sept. 22. For more information or to buy tickets to the gala, visit the Fairfield Museum and History Center website.
Our hope is that Promise of Freedom will provide students, families and other visitors from across the tri-state area with a rare and important opportunity to connect to a crucial period of American history, experience firsthand this great document of human freedom and reflect on the ongoing efforts of everyday citizens in advancing liberty, Jehle said.
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