Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibit: The 2009 Exhibit at Buley Library

This exhibit celebrates the Lincoln Bicentennial, focusing on slavery in Connecticut and Lincoln's influence and interactions in Connecticut. Print and digitized materials, websites and references are provided in four major areas of the exhibit:

Slavery and Abolition in Connecticut

• This section focuses on the history of slavery and the abolitionist movement in Connecticut from the 1700s into the late 1800s. Primary source materials such as runaway slave advertisements, accounts of slave revolts, and the lives of slaves in Connecticut are included.

Gradual Emancipation

• Connecticut slaves were emancipated well before the Emancipation Proclamation delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 through the Acts and Laws of the State of Connecticut published in 1784. The bill that specified children born after March 1st, 1784 would be freed at the age of 25. This section includes information about the emancipation of slaves in Connecticut, article citations, and information related to the New Haven region and slavery.

A Western Star over Connecticut

• Named after a book in the Buley collection that focuses on Lincoln's connections with Connecticut, this section includes letters sent between Lincoln and political officials in the state, newspaper articles from his visits in Connecticut, and transcripts of his speeches.

Freedom's Journeys

• The road to freedom and equality in Connecticut has lasted into the present, and this section looks at a variety of primary source materials, articles and websites that highlight the journey to freedom.