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Your search found 94 result(s).
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The Elementary Spelling Book: Being An Improvement On The American Spelling Book
- Written by
- Noah Webster Jr., American, 1758 - 1843
- Published by
- George F. Cooledge & Brother, American, 1829 - 1863
- Date
- 1845
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 7 × 4 1/8 × 3/8 in. (17.8 × 10.5 × 1 cm)
- Caption
- Popularly called "the blue-black speller," many African Americans remember Noah Webster's Elementary Spelling Book as the way they learned to read and spell after slavery.
- Description
- A faded blue textbook with black text titled “The Elementary Spelling Book: Being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book” by Noah Webster. Printed at the top of the cover is “THE LAST REVISED EDITION.” The title is at the center of the cover surrounded by a floral design and the author’s name. The publisher’s information is printed at the bottom of the cover. The cover is torn and faded. The book contains 168 pages. The pages are white with black text.
- Place used
- United States, North and Central America
- Type
- spelling books
- Topic
- Caricature and cartoons
- Education
- Emancipation
- Language
- Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
- Youth
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Nancy Bercaw
- Object number
- 2017.89
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
CC0
Twelve Years A Slave
- Written by
- Northup, Solomon, American, 1808 - 1875
- Published by
- Derby and Miller, American, 1848 - 1853
- Date
- 1853
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper with gold, cloth, and cardboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (Closed): 7 3/4 × 5 1/2 × 1 5/16 in. (19.7 × 14 × 3.4 cm)
- H x W x D (Open): 7 3/4 × 11 1/2 × 4 1/8 in. (19.7 × 29.2 × 10.5 cm)
- H x W x D (open at 90 degrees): 7 3/4 × 6 × 6 1/4 in. (19.7 × 15.2 × 15.9 cm)
- H x W x D (open at 60 degrees): 7 3/4 × 5 3/4 × 5 3/4 in. (19.7 × 14.6 × 14.6 cm)
- Description
- This book is a first edition, seventeenth thousand printing copy of “Twelve Years A Slave Narrative of Solomon Northup, A Citizen of New York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853, and Rescued in 1853, From a Common Plantation Near the Red River, in Louisiana." The book has a brown cloth binding. The exterior spine is embossed with two lines running across the top and bottom of the spine. The title of the book has been embossed in gilt lettering [TWELVE/YEARS/A/SLAVE] across the top third of the spine and is surrounded by engraved flourishes. The name of the publishers [DARBY & MILLER] is embossed in gilt across the bottom of the spine. The front and back cover boards have been embossed with identical designs: two flourishes within two rectangles. The book has yellow end papers, a dedication to Harriet Beecher Stowe, a quote by Cowpee, an editor’s preface, twenty-two chapters and an appendix. The frontispiece is a portrait of Solomon Northup seated on a bench with his arms crossed. A facsimile of his signature is below the picture with a caption that reads, “IN HIS PLANTATION SUIT.” Three hundred and thirty-six pages with seven black and white plates.
- Place printed
- Auburn, Cuyahoga County, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Place depicted
- New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- narratives
- hardcover books
- Topic
- American South
- Antislavery
- Caricature and cartoons
- Domestic slave trade
- Free communities of color
- Law
- Literature
- U.S. History, 1815-1861
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2014.262
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public Domain
-
CC0
The Case of Dred Scott in the United States Supreme Court
- Written by
- Chief Justice Taney, Roger B., American, 1777 - 1964
- Justice Curtis, Benjamin Robbins, American, 1809 - 1874
- Published by
- Greeley, Horace, American, 1811 - 1872
- Subject of
- Scott, Dred, American, ca 1800 - 1858
- Date
- 1857
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper (fiber product) with string (fiber product)
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 9 1/16 × 5 13/16 × 5/16 in. (23 × 14.7 × 0.8 cm)
- Description
- A first edition, octavo volume of The Case of Dred Scott in the United States Supreme Court with sewn self-wrappers. The title and publishing information are printed in black ink, centered on the front wrap against a plain background: [The Case / OF / DRED SCOTT / IN THE / UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT. / THE FULL DECISION OF / CHIEF JUSTICE TANEY / AND / JUSTICE CURTIS / AND ABSTRACTS OF THE / OPINIONS OF THE OTHER JUDGES; / WITH ANALYSIS OF THE POINTS RULED, AND SOME / CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. / NEW YORK / GREELEY & McELRATH, TRIBUNE BUILDINGS / 1857. / Price, 25 Cents; $1 for Five Copies; $2 per Dozen; $15 per Hundred.] There are 104 pages. The text concludes with the sections [RESOLUTIONS] and [AN ACT TO SECURE THE FREEDOM OF ALL PERSONS WITHIN THIS STATE.] on the back. The volume is inscribed to the New York State congressman Robert J. Hale at the top center of the front wrap: [Robt. Hale from R. W. Livingston, July / 57].
- Place printed
- New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Type
- reports
- Topic
- Caricature and cartoons
- Civil rights
- Emancipation
- Government
- Law
- Politics (Practical)
- Race discrimination
- Slavery
- U.S. History, 1815-1861
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2015.262
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
CC0
Picture of Slavery in the United States of America
- Written by
- Rev. Bourne, George, British American, 1780 - 1845
- Published by
- Hunt, Edwin, American
- Date
- 1834
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 6 x 3 3/4 x 3/4 in. (15.2 x 9.5 x 1.9 cm)
- Description
- This book is entitled "Picture of Slavery in the United States of America," and was written by Reverend George Bourne. It was published by Edwin Hunt in 1834. The text is bound in a plain dark blue paper cover with text on the interior pages printed in black ink. There are ten (10) engravings included, featuring images related to scenes of slavery.
- Place made
- Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- books
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2013.46.7
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
CC0
School copy book used by Hannah Amelia Lyons
- Printed by
- Price, Philip Jr., American
- Used by
- Lyons, Hannah Amelia, American
- Date
- 1830-1836
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper, string
- Dimensions
- H x W: 13 x 8 in. (33 x 20.3 cm)
- Caption
- Hannah A. Lions’s School Copy Book, 1831
- Attending school in Philadelphia, Hannah Lions copied down her math, history, and poetry lessons in this notebook. Her family saved this book as "proof that there were some educated [black] people way back when."
- Source: Nancy Bercaw, Curator, Slavery and Freedom
- Description
- A school copy book printed by Philip Price in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and used by Hannah Amelia Lyons. The book has paper covers bound on the proper left side. A length of knotted pink string extends from the top edge of the binding, serving as a bookmark. Several engravings are printed on the front and back covers. On the front cover is a portrait of John Adams entitled "Late President of the United States," above an allegorical scene and space for the owner to sign the book, followed by the printer's name. The back cover has an image of an eagle flying over open waters between two ships and clasping a banner reading "SHIPPED" in its beak. Below the eagle is a floral sprig on the left and a grouping of masonic symbols on the right, with a thin scrollwork border below them. Below the border is a shield with an eagle inside it holding a banner reading "E Pluribus Unum". Below the shield are two separate allegorical scenes. The interior pages contain various school exercises including mathematics and poetry.
- Place printed
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Documents and Published Materials
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Type
- workbooks
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Hope Evans Boyd
- Object number
- 2012.124.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
- Written by
- Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
- Published by
- Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, American, founded 1835
- Subject of
- Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879
- Phillips, Wendell, American, 1811 - 1884
- Date
- 1845
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper, cardboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 7 x 4 1/2 x 5 in. (17.8 x 11.4 x 12.7 cm)
- H x W x D (open at 90 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 7/8 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 12.4 cm)
- H x W x D (open at 60 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 1/4 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 10.8 cm)
- Description
- A first edition copy of the memoir and antislavery book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. The hardcover book has a brown cover with an imprinted decorative border and scrollwork. The title is stamped in gold lettering in the center: [NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS]. The frontispiece illustration is a portrait of Douglass, seated at a table, wearing jacket, vest, and tie, with his hands crossed in his lap. The first page prints the full title in alternating large and small type: [NARRATIVE / OF THE / LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS, / AN / AMERICAN SLAVE. / WRITTEN BY HIMSELF]. The last part of the title appears between two horizontal lines. At the bottom center is the publishing information: [BOSTON: / PUBLISHED AT THE ANTI-SLAVERY OFFICE, / No. 25 CORNHILL / 1845.]. The book has a preface written by William Lloyd Garrison and a prefatory letter by Wendell Phillips. There are 125 pages.
- Place printed
- Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- narratives
- hardcover books
- Topic
- Antislavery
- Caricature and cartoons
- Freedom
- Fugitive enslaved
- Identity
- Literature
- Men
- Resistance
- Self-liberation
- Slavery
- U.S. History, 1815-1861
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elizabeth Cassell
- Object number
- 2011.43.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
My Bondage and My Freedom
- Written by
- Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
- Published by
- Miller, Orton & Co.
- Subject of
- Smith, Gerrit, American, 1794 - 1874
- Date
- 1857
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper, cardboard, leather
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 7 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (19.1 x 14 x 4.4 cm)
- H x W x D (IN SPECIALLY MADE STAND): 5 1/8 × 7 5/16 × 7 1/2 in. (13 × 18.6 × 19.1 cm)
- Description
- Hardcover book entitled "My Bondage and My Freedom" with an illustration of Frederick Douglass as frontispiece. This slave narrative is dedicated to Gerrit Smith.
- Place printed
- New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- narratives
- hardcover books
- Topic
- Antislavery
- Caricature and cartoons
- Identity
- Literature
- Slavery
- Social reform
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elizabeth Cassell
- Object number
- 2011.43.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
Photograph album owned by Emily Howland
- Manufactured by
- James B. Smith & Co., American
- Signed by
- Lacy, Caroline N., American, 1838 - 1898
- Received by
- Howland, Emily, American, 1827 - 1929
- Subject of
- Tubman, Harriet, American, 1822 - 1913
- Menard, John Willis, American, 1838 - 1893
- Sumner, Charles, American, 1811 - 1874
- Child, Lydia Maria, American, 1802 - 1880
- Channing, William Henry, American, 1810 - 1884
- Phillips, Wendell, American, 1811 - 1884
- Freedmen's Bureau, American, 1865 - 1872
- Date
- 1864
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- leather, metal, and ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (closed): 6 1/4 × 5 1/4 × 2 7/8 in. (15.9 × 13.3 × 7.3 cm)
- H x W (open with clasps): 6 1/4 × 11 in. (15.9 × 27.9 cm)
- H x W (open without clasps): 6 1/4 × 9 in. (15.9 × 22.9 cm)
- H x W x D (Storage container): 5 7/8 × 11 1/4 × 11 7/16 in. (15 × 28.5 × 29 cm)
- Caption
- Caroline “Carrie” Nichols (later Carrie N. Lacy; see 2017.30.13) presented this carte-de-visite album to her friend and fellow teacher Emily Howland on January 1, 1864, at Camp Todd, a freedmen’s camp and school located in Arlington, Virginia. Emily Howland was an abolitionist, educator, philanthropist, and suffragist who founded, financially supported, and taught in numerous schools for African Americans for more than 70 years from 1857 until her death in 1929 at the age of 101.
- Typical of a CDV album during this period, the Howland Album contains photographs of Howland’s family, friends, and colleagues, as well as souvenir images of notable abolitionists and famous figures during the 1860s and 1870s. Based on the photograph dates and later inscriptions, it is clear that Howland added photographs to the album as she collected them throughout the mid- to late 19th century.
- Description
- Black leather photograph album owned by Emily Howland containing photographs of friends, family, and celebrities. The album covers and binding are made from embossed black leather with gold gilt decorations on the covers and spine. Both covers are the same, with a scallop-edged diamond outlined in gold at the center and geometric borders surrounding it, ending in a thin gold gilt geometric border around the edges. Gilt text is stamped on the spine reading "PHOTOGRAPHS". The front and back interior covers have decorative paper with small gold repeating stylized dots on a white ground adhered to them. There are four (4) sheets of paper at the front of the album, followed by twenty-five (25) thicker pages that each feature a window for holding two (2) photographs per page, and one (1) sheet of paper at the back of the album. There is room for fifty (50) photographs, though the album contains only forty-seven (47) photographs plus one (1) loose photograph too large to fit into the windowed pages. Windows 20, 21, and 47 are empty. The windows are rectangular with rounded corners and are surrounded by a gold printed border. The front pages include a page with information about the album publisher and an Index page with two printed columns of numbered lines for identifying the photographs. The Index page is not filled out. There is an inscription written in black ink on the first page that reads "To / Emily Howland / From her friend / Carrie Nichols / Jan 1st, 1864 / Camp Todd / Virginia". All of the interior pages are edged in gilt with a design impressed into the top, right side, and bottom edges of the pages that creates a floral spray when the album is closed. The album fastens on the right side with two (2) metal hinged bars that are attached to the back cover and close over metal pins attached to the front cover. The bars are embellished with a three-dimensional metal design imitating a floral fabric looped through a metal buckle.
- Place used
- Camp Todd, Arlington County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Emily Howland Photograph Album
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Media Arts-Photography
- Movement
- Anti-slavery movements
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- photograph albums
- Topic
- Antislavery
- Education
- Families
- Feminism
- Local and regional
- Military
- Photography
- Politics (Practical)
- Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
- Religion
- Social reform
- U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States Colored Troops
- Credit Line
- Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shared with the Library of Congress
- Object number
- 2017.30
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Hiring agreement for an enslaved woman named Martha in South Carolina
- Printed by
- Unidentified
- Signed by
- Hunton, William A., American
- Fox, John, American, 1805 - 1884
- Subject of
- Unidentified Woman or Women
- Date
- December 31, 1858
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 3 15/16 × 5 5/8 in. (10 × 14.3 cm)
- Description
- A hiring agreement for an enslaved woman named Martha in South Carolina. The small, single sheet and page document is on yellowed paper with black preprinted and handwritten text. The document represents the hire of an enslaved woman named Martha to William A. Hunton by John Fox on January 1, 1859 for 1 year. It the top left corner on the front of the document is a printed dollar sign with “17.00/100” handwritten next to it. The document begins “On the 1st day of January, 1860, we bind ourselves and our heirs / to pay unto JOHN FOX the just and full sum of Seventeen dollars / and – cents, for the hire of the Negro Martha, for the year 1859….” The document also notes that Martha will be furnished with summer and winter clothes as well as a bonnet and blanket. The document ends with “Given under our hands ad seals this 31st day of December of 1858. / William A. Hunton.” In the bottom right corner there ar two boxes with “SEAL.” printed inside. William A. Hunton’s signature is next to the top box. The back of the document has an inscription in graphite written in a different hand than the text on the front. The inscription reads “No 24 / WM A. Hunton / $17, Martha / John Fox.”
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcribed by digital volunteers
- Place used
- Lexington County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Liljenquist Family Collection
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Published Materials-Business and Legal Documents
- Topic
- American South
- Business
- Clothing and dress
- Finance
- Slave hire system
- Slavery
- U.S. History, 1815-1861
- Women
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Liljenquist Family
- Object number
- 2018.43.5
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Carte de visite of Sgt. Jacob Johns (19th USCT)
- Photograph by
- Unidentified
- Subject of
- Johns, Jacob, American, died 1867
- 19th United States Colored Infantry, 1863 - 1867
- Date
- 1864-1867
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 3 7/8 × 2 3/8 in. (9.8 × 6 cm)
- Description
- This carte-de-visite has a photographic print depicting Sergeant Jacob Johns seated, facing the viewer with his gloved hands resting on his lap. His right elbow is resting on a small, circular side table, while it appears he is holding his left arm up without support. Johns is wearing an oversized four-button sack coat with an outside slash pocket. His uniform includes sergeant bars sewn onto the sleeves of his coat, pants with a dark stripe down the outer side of each leg, a belt with a rectangular metal belt plate, gloves, a sword and sash, and a medal pinned to his proper left chest. Johns wears a goatee. The carte-de-visite is inscribed and signed in ink along the bottom of the mount, reading "Your Obt. Servt, / Jacob Johns". The reverse of the mount is blank.
- Collection title
- Liljenquist Family Collection
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Media Arts-Photography
- Type
- cartes-de-visite
- gelatin silver prints
- portraits
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
- Object number
- 2015.222.8
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Civil War-era belt buckle from Point of Pines Plantation
- Created by
- Unidentified
- Subject of
- Point of Pines Plantation, American
- Date
- ca. 1860
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- metal
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 2 1/4 × 3 5/16 × 1 1/4 in. (5.7 × 8.4 × 3.2 cm)
- Description
- Union "US" Oval belt buckle. The metal buckle is oval shaped with the raised lettering on the front that reads [US]. There are three hooks on the back. Any backmarks that may have existed were worn away by the elements.
- Place collected
- Edisto Island, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, Sea Islands, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Clothing-Historical
- Topic
- Clothing and dress
- Communities
- Emancipation
- Freedom
- Military
- Slavery
- U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States Colored Troops
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Burnet Rhett Maybank, III
- Object number
- 2015.92.4
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Cabin from Point of Pines Plantation in Charleston County, South Carolina
- Created by
- Point of Pines Plantation, American
- Date
- 1853
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- yellow pine, lath, and cypress shingles
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 73 x 246 x 186 in. (185.4 x 624.8 x 472.4 cm)
- Caption
- The cabin was originally a two room, hall-and-parlor cabin with a loft accessible by ladder. The cabin had one door and three windows. A back door and an extra room were added after emancipation.
- The Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin was one of two remaining slave dwellings on Edisto Island in 2013. The cabin was built on Charles Bailey's Point of Pines plantation in 1853 along with approximately nine other cabins of identical type. The lumber used to build the cabin was machine cut and shipped to the island. At this point, the cabins were assembled most likely by enslaved carpenters. The cabin is a one-story, rectangular, weatherboard clad building with a side gable roof which also acts as the overhanging porch roof. There is a single, exterior brick chimney on the west elevation.It was listed in the National Register November 28, 1986.
- Description
- The cabin is a one-story, two-room, rectangular, weatherboard clad building with an extended side gable roof which acts as the overhanging porch roof and a brick /masonry fireplace on the west elevation. The structure is a timber frame, meaning a heavy timber mortise and tenon, structure. It is composed of 6”x 6” sills of Southern Yellow Pine, 3” x 4” studs with 4” x 6” braces, topped with 4” x 6” plates and 3” x 4” rafters all of Southern Yellow Pine. Rafters are covered with lath and the structure originally had a cypress shingle roof; some pieces of shingles survive in the roof frame. The exterior was covered by Southern Yellow pine lap siding and painted with whitewash.
- Place collected
- Edisto Island, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Buildings and Structures
- Type
- cabins (houses)
- Topic
- American South
- Architecture
- Building Arts
- Communities
- Domestic life
- Emancipation
- Housing
- Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
- Slavery
- U.S. History, 1815-1861
- U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of The Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society
- Object number
- 2013.57
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
Civil war shelter tent half owned by George Thompson Garrison
- Manufactured by
- H. S. McComb, American
- Owned by
- Garrison, George Thompson, American, 1836 - 1904
- Subject of
- 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, American, 1863 - 1865
- Date
- circa 1863
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- cotton (textile), bone, thread
- Dimensions
- H x W: 59 × 66 in. (149.9 × 167.6 cm)
- Description
- One half of a U.S. Military issued tent owned by G.T. Garrison. The tent is a flat, nearly square piece of cotton cloth. Along the two sides and the upper edge there are button holes, above each of these notches are white circular bone buttons sewn to the cotton, several of which are missing. One edge has neither buttons nor notches. The side on which the buttons are stitched has [Co. I / 55th] stamped in black pigment in the lower-right quadrant. At the top in small, faded letters [H.S. McCOMB / WILMINGTON] is stamped in red pigment. The opposite side of the tent is undecorated.
- Place made
- Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Tools and Equipment-Military
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- tents
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Garrison Family in memory of George Thompson Garrison
- Object number
- 2014.115.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Pocketwatch inscribed to William Lloyd Garrison from George Thompson
- Created by
- Unidentified
- Commissioned by
- George Thompson, English, 1804 - 1878
- Subject of
- The Liberator, American, 1831 - 1865
- Owned by
- Garrison, George Thompson, American, 1836 - 1904
- Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879
- Date
- 1850
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- gold, metal, glass, paint
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 2 11/16 × 1 7/8 × 9/16 in. (6.8 × 4.8 × 1.4 cm)
- Description
- An inscribed gold pocket watch presented to William Lloyd Garrison. The watch has a half hunter case, with spring hinged glass cover over the dial and a hinged gold lid over the back, protecting the inscription and winding square. The dial is painted white with roman numerals and fleur de lis shaped watch hands. There is a smaller 60-second dial partly obscuring the "VI" of the larger dial. The two hinged covers open via a button on the crown and bow, positioned above the "XII" of the dial. The engraved inscription on the back of the watch is decorative and reads [Presented by / GEORGE THOMPSON, M.P. / on behalf of him / self and others / to / WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, / intrepid and uncompromising / Friend of the Slave: / in commemoration of the / TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF / THE LIBERATOR / Boston / January 1st, 1851] in several text sizes and fonts. Production and identification marks are stamped and scratched on the inside of the back cover.
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcribed by digital volunteers
- Place made
- London, England, Europe
- Place depicted
- Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Tools and Equipment-Personal use
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- pocket watches
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Garrison Family in memory of George Thompson Garrison
- Object number
- 2014.115.6.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Collection box of the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society owned by Garrison family
- Created by
- Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society, American, 1833 - 1850s
- Owned by
- Garrison, George Thompson, American, 1836 - 1904
- Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879
- Date
- 1830s - 1850s
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on cardboard
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 3 1/8 × 2 7/16 × 1 13/16 in. (7.9 × 6.2 × 4.6 cm)
- H x W x D (a - body): 3 × 2 7/16 × 1 3/4 in. (7.6 × 6.2 × 4.4 cm)
- H x W x D (b - lid): 13/16 × 2 5/16 × 1 11/16 in. (2.1 × 5.9 × 4.3 cm)
- Description
- Cardboard coin collection box produced by the Rhode Island Anti-Slavery Society. The box is constructed in two pieces, a top and bottom. The top has a slot for coins and fits into the bottom. The box is yellow with black print, including a tableau on the front of an enslaved person in chains on his knees surrounded by implements of bondage.
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcribed by digital volunteers
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Memorabilia and Ephemera-Political and Activist Ephemera
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- boxes (containers)
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Garrison Family in memory of George Thompson Garrison
- Object number
- 2014.115.9
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
Diary of Lieutenant John Freeman Shorter
- Written by
- Lieutenant Shorter, John Freeman, American, 1842 - 1865
- Subject of
- Delany, Martin Robison, American, 1812 - 1885
- 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, American, 1863 - 1865
- Garrison, George Thompson, American, 1836 - 1904
- Date
- 1865
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- leather, graphite on paper, ink
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (2014.118.1a Closed): 5 × 3 9/16 × 13/16 in. (12.7 × 9 × 2.1 cm)
- H x W x D (2014.118.1a Open): 5 × 9 1/4 × 13/16 in. (12.7 × 23.5 × 2.1 cm)
- H x W (2014.118.1b): 8 × 4 15/16 in. (20.3 × 12.5 cm)
- H x W (2014.118.1c): 8 3/4 × 2 1/2 in. (22.2 × 6.4 cm)
- Caption
- A direct descendent of Elizabeth Hemings, John Freeman Shorter grew up in Washington, D.C. as a free man. By the spring of 1863, he was living in Ohio when he left for Boston to enlist in the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. A white officer once described Shorter as “tall, of muscular build, … hair light, complexion almost white, and blue eyes, whose lively expression brightened a face otherwise somewhat grave.” Shorter became one of only two other fully-commissioned black officers in the 55th Massachusetts—“Three as worthy men as ever carried a gun,” declared the chaplain of the 55th. All three of these officers were connected to Monticello. Shorter was the only direct descendent of the enslaved at Monticello; the other two were connected through marriage.
- As the historian of the regiment wrote, Shorter had “every soldierly quality, from scrupulous neatness to unflinching bravery. He well merited the reputation of the best non-commissioned officer in the regiment. As such, he was selected for the first promotion from the ranks.” However, the army would not formally muster or recognize them as officers because of the color of their skin. Finally in the summer of 1865, when the fighting had ceased, the three men were officially commissioned as officers.
- African American soldiers in the Massachusetts regiments were promised equal treatment, including equal pay. However, the men received half of the pay that their white counterparts received. Shorter became a leading force in the fight for equal pay. To protest this pay inequality, the soldiers went without pay for a year and a half. In July 1864, the men reached out to the president himself. By October, they finally received full pay. In a celebration at their camp on Folly Island, Shorter spoke on behalf of the regiment, saying that it was their primary responsibility as men to “prove our fitness for liberty and citizenship, in the new order of things now arising in this, our native land.”
- Three weeks after this victory, the soldiers took up arms in the Battle of Honey Hill (South Carolina, November 1864). In this battle, Shorter was wounded in the leg, but he refused to stop fighting. As one soldier wrote, “Sergt. Shorter is wounded in the knee, yet will not go to the rear.” In August 1865, Shorter was honorably discharged, returning to Ohio to marry his fiancé. Sadly, Shorter succumbed to small pox, dying shortly before arriving home.
- Source: Nancy Bercaw, Curator, Slavery and Freedom
- Description
- A handwritten diary encased in a red leather cover with "Diary / 1865" embossed in gold lettering at top center surrounded by an ornate wreath. The diary is inscribed on the front endpaper in both pencil and ink. The diary begins with several printed pages including a page outlining eclipses that occurred in 1865, a calendar, a table of stamp duties and rates of postage. The diary entries were done predominantly in pencil. The diary begins on January 1, 1865 with the last entry occurring on September 30, 1865. The diary ends with a memorandum section and an accounts paid section. Both of these sections were used by Lieutenant John Freeman Shorter. A back pocket in the back of the diary contains two loose sheets of paper. One of the pieces of paper is a promotion certification for a second lieutenant in the 55th Massachusetts volunteer regiment. The document is written in ink. It is dated April 19, 1865. Additional notes are written in pencil on the other side of the document. The second piece of paper has a list of people’s names, dollar amounts and dates written on both sides in both ink and pencil.
- Transcription Center Status
- Transcribed by digital volunteers
- Place used
- South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
- Place depicted
- Ohio, United States, North and Central America
- Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Liljenquist Family Collection
- Classification
- Documents and Published Materials
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Movement
- Anti-slavery movements
- Abolitionist movement
- Type
- diaries
- Topic
- Antislavery
- Communication
- Free communities of color
- Men
- Military
- Race discrimination
- U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
- United States Colored Troops
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
- Object number
- 2014.118.1a-c
- Restrictions & Rights
- Public domain
-
CC0
Charleston slave badge from 1801 for Mechanic No. 108
- Created by
- Prince, Charles, American
- Date
- 1801
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- copper
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm)
- Description
- A circular copper slave badge. The front of the badge reads "*Charleston* / No. 108 / Mechanic / 1801." The back of the badge reads “C.Prince.” All lettering is die stamped into the metal except the number “108”, which is engraved. There is a puncture hole at the top of the badge. The metal is dark in color with a green patina.
- Place used
- Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Liljenquist Family Collection
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Tools and Equipment-Occupational
- Type
- badges
- Topic
- Labor
- Slavery
- U.S. History, 1783-1815
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
- Object number
- 2014.118.2
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
The North Star, Vol. I No. 37
- Created by
- The North Star, American, 1847 - 1859
- Edited by
- Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895
- Delany, Martin Robison, American, 1812 - 1885
- Published by
- Dick, John, British
- Date
- September 8, 1848
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- ink on newsprint
- Dimensions
- H x W (folded): 13 3/16 × 18 1/2 in. (33.5 × 47 cm)
- Description
- The September 8, 1848 issue of the North Star, an antislavery newspaper published in Rochester, New York by Frederick Douglass. The paper is printed with black text on yellowed newsprint. The masthead reads [THE NORTH STAR. / RIGHT IS OF NO SEX-TRUTH IS OF NO COLOR-GOD IS THE FATHER OF US ALL, AND ALL WE ARE BRETHREN. / ROCHESTER, N. Y., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1848.] On the left side of the masthead is [FREDERICK DOUGLASS, / M. R. DELANY, / EDITORS / VOL. 1. NO. 37.] Printed on the right side of the masthead is [JOHN DICK, PUBLISHER / WHOLE NO.-37.]. The main text is organized into seven columns of small print. At the top of the column on the far left, above the publisher's notices and list of agents, is printed: [The object of the NORTH STAR will be to attack SLAVERY in all its forms and aspects; advocate UNIVERSAL EMANCIPATION; exalt the standard of PUBLIC MORALITY; promote the moral and intellectual improvement of the COLORED PEOPLE; and hasten the day of FREEDOM to the THREE MILLIONS of our ENSLAVED FELLOW COUNTRYMEN.] This issue contains several anti-slavery essays and letters, including a letter from Douglass to his previous enslaver Thomas Auld, titled [To My Old Master], as well as a critique of the Liberian colonization movement, news of the rebellion in Ireland, poetry, notices of anti-slavery society meetings around the region, and general advertisements.
- Place printed
- Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
- Movement
- Abolitionist movement
- Colonization movement
- Type
- newspapers
- Topic
- Antislavery
- Communities
- Free communities of color
- Freedom
- Fugitive enslaved
- International affairs
- Mass media
- Self-liberation
- Social reform
- U.S. History, 1815-1861
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2014.151.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Quilted petticoat
- Created by
- Unidentified
- Date
- 1830s-1840s; repurposed 1890s
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- cotton fabric and cotton batting
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (On form): 37 × 24 × 20 in. (94 × 61 × 50.8 cm)
- Description
- This quilted petticoat may have been made from a repurposed wholecloth bedcover or refashioned from a once larger skirt. The front of the textile is faced with a small-scale printed floral vine design in white, yellow, purple, and red blossoms with green leaves on a light brown ground. The back of the textile is faced with an orange striped cotton. A layer of cotton batting was quilted between the front and back facing fabrics. It was hand quilted with off-white cotton thread in an offset grid pattern with a leafy vine border design. The floral printed fabric was turned and hand stitched to the back fabric as binding. The fabrics and quilted motifs indicate it was probably made in the 1830s or 1840s. The fabric may have been imported from France.
- The cut textile is turned under and the edges left raw at the interior waistline of the petticoat and the cotton batting can be seen along these raw edges. A small piece of printed cotton with a small-scale repeating design of purple flowers on a yellow ground is stitched at the interior proper left front waist. A long length of off-white cotton twill tape is attached around the back waist to hold gathers in the petticoat. The twill tape remains loose on the front so that the front of the petticoat has a flat silhouette. The petticoat is closed by tying these loose lengths of twill tape at the front waist.The hem of the petticoat is the original binding of the bedcover and the quilted vine border of the bedcover is turned horizontal around the bottom of the petticoat. The textile was probably repurposed into its current form as a petticoat between the 1870s and 1890s due to the flat front and gathered back waist.
- Place used
- United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Clothing-Historical
- Type
- quilts
- petticoats
- Topic
- Clothing and dress
- Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
- Slavery
- U.S. History, 1865-1921
- U.S. History, Civil War, 1861-1865
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Aaron and Maureen Robinson and Family
- Object number
- 2014.180.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
-
CC0
Banjo made in the style of William Esperance Boucher, Jr.
- Attributed to
- Unidentified
- Subject of
- Boucher, William Esperance Jr., American
- Date
- ca. 1850s
- On ViewConcourse 3, C3 053
- Exhibition
- Slavery and Freedom
- Medium
- wood , metal , animal skin or synthetic materials
- Dimensions
- 37 1/2 × 12 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (95.3 × 31.8 × 8.9 cm)
- Description
- Banjo made in the style of William Esperance Boucher, Jr. (circa 1850s). The banjo has a circular head, with a tension head pulled tight across the front. There is a slightly tilted bridge on the head, with a tailpiece at the bottom holding the strings bottom in place along the rim. Both the tailpiece and the bridge are made of the same medium brown wood. There are metal brackets surrounding the rim of the banjo. This banjo is an early style of five-string banjos, which has four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. The neck and fingerboard of the banjo is made of the same medium glossy wood as the back of the head. There are four wooden turning keys and pegs on the top, with a 5th string turning peg, also made of wood, about halfway up the neck or fingerboard.
- Place made
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
- Cultural Place
- West Africa, Africa
- Classification
- Slavery and Freedom Objects
- Musical Instruments
- Type
- banjos
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert Bockee Winans
- Object number
- 2014.311
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions