A Gathering Place for Freedom
Extended Through Labor Day 2008
In
commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the African Meeting
House in Boston, the Museum of African American History presents a
year-long exhibition, A Gathering Place for Freedom. The exhibition
embodies the proud history of the free and self-emancipated black
community of 19th century Boston who organized itself to build
its own institutions as to lead in the movement to end slavery in this
nation. The African Meeting House offers a unique window on this history
that begins with the actual physical structures where people worked
together to secure the promise of the Declaration of Independence.
The exhibition includes
early maps, architectural sketches, photographs, paintings, poetry,
historical newspaper articles, archaeological artifacts, antique books and
sculpture.
The Gathering Place
for Freedom
Fifteen years after
the passage of the Bill of Rights, the African Baptist Church was
dedicated. Officially consecrated on December 6, 1806, the church was
part of the established tradition of African American excellence and
enterprise in Boston. The women, men, and children who made up the first
congregation of this church established a holy sanctuary for worship and a
much-desired school that would support African American education.
The red brick church
would house historic abolitionist meetings, would accommodate
unforgettable lectures, would resound with children’s voices reciting
their lessons and singing, and would host recruiting meetings for brave
black Civil War regiments . All who entered into this stately building on
Smith Court, found that there, the freedom of speech, guaranteed by the
Bill of Rights, was upheld. The church also protected freedom of the
press supporting abolitionist newspapers like The Liberator and
Freedom’s Journal. The church enabled people of all races to assemble in
peace. The African Meeting House was a mighty gathering place for
freedom.
Read more about the exhibit
Lois Brown, Ph.D.
Co-Curator and Exhibition Scholar,
Marion Kilson, Ph.D.
Co-Curator and Exhibition Scholar
46 Joy Street, Beacon Hill – Free - Gallery hours,
Monday – Saturday,
10:00 – 4:00 PM
Free To All |
NEW EXHIBIT
Coming Fall 2008: Black Entrepreneurs of the 18th and 19th Centuries
Entrepreneurship has always been a way for Americans to climb the economic ladder. Black Americans also took part in this American dream beginning when slavery when slavery was still legal in this country. Black Entrepreneurs of the 18th and 19th Centuries will tell the stories of some of the enterprising black entrepreneurs from the Revolutionary period through the 19th century in Boston and New England. It will explore the little-known stories of early black entrepreneurs who invested their labor, time and money for their own business ventures, but also on behalf of freedom.
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