In commemoration of the end of the Civil War, the death of Lincoln, and the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) has suspended its 2015 induction ceremonies to address the matter of President Lincoln as “The Great Emancipator.” Several programs will provide opportunity for the public to study Lincoln as an abolitionist.
The Thirteenth Amendment (“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,… shall exist with within the United States..”) was proposed by the U.S. Senate on April 8, 1864. The movie Lincoln features the historical drama of securing the votes needed in the House of Representative to pass the resolution. The Thirteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865 and ratified by the states on December 6, 1865.
The “Lincoln Weekend” will begin at the Catherine Cummings Theatre in Cazenovia at 7 pm, Friday, October 23 with A Concert for President Lincoln by the Excelsior Cornet Band. The next day, Saturday October 24 at the Cummings Theatre The Emancipation of Abraham Lincoln: Head, Heart, and the American Memory will be presented by a panel of Lincoln scholars at 2 pm, and at 7 pm Harold Holzer, President of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, will present Abraham Lincoln and the Abolition Press.
Admission for adults is a Lincoln bill and admission for ages 5 – 12 is a Lincoln coin. The event is supported, in part, with funds from the New York Council for the Humanities, the Decentralization Program a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by CNY Arts, and with a TAG grant from Madison County Tourism.
The annual NAHOF Antislavery Dinner will be served at 5 pm in Coleman Hall, Cazenovia College. Thirty-five dollar reservations are required by October 16.
The Great Emancipator events will culminate on Sunday, October 25, 2015, in Peterboro at 9 am with Abolition Coffee and a guided tour of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark (5304 Oxbow Road, Peterboro), followed by an Abolition Breakfast and a guided tour of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro) at 10:30.
At 11:30 the three part series of The Abolitionists, which is part of the Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle film series, will begin with Part I of The Abolitionists – along with Abolition Morning Tea. Part II begins at 1 pm with Abolition Lunch, and Part III begins at 2:30 with Abolition Dessert. The concluding session at 4 pm examines Where are We as Abolitionists Today? Sunday, October 25 sessions are free.
Founded in 2005, The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOFM) honors antislavery abolitionists, their work to end slavery, and the legacy of that struggle, and strives to complete the second and ongoing abolition – the moral conviction to end racism. NAHOFM seeks to increase public awareness of the heritage foundations of equal rights and continue that struggle to complete the goals of the abolition movement in contemporary America.
Reservation forms for the Antislavery Dinner and tickets are available at nahofm1835@gmail.com, www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum, and 315-280-8828. Tickets are also available at Cazenovia Jewelry (49 Albany Street, Cazenovia) and at the door.
My husband, Dennis C. Duling, PhD, and I are at the editing stages of an Underground Railroad Book about Youngstown, NY and the regional network. We live on the Lower Niagara River across from Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.