TheMeaning of Freedom day three A Changing Landscape


At its heart, the Civil War was about freedom in America. First and foremost, the war was fought over the question of slavery, but also had major ramifications for women, immigrants, the middle class and the notion of government as a whole. The men and women who shaped the abolitionist debate that erupted into the Civil War included the forefathers of the Civil Rights movement that emerged a century later in the 1950s and 60s – Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and others who changed the national landscape not only for African Americans, but for all Americans.


That landscape is still evolving today... as your insightful, guided visits to pivotal sites throughout the Washington, DC area that reflect the struggles against slavery and for racial equality in America will attest – including the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, the home of the former slave who devoted his adult life to the fight for human rights; a walking tour of the historic U Street neighborhood, where freed slaves settled following the Civil War; and the African American Civil War Memorial & Museum. It’s all a fitting prelude to tonight’s special evening at the National Archives – including an after-hours tour and our inspiring keynote address by Ken Burns, followed by a stirring, guided Illumination Tour of the Lincoln Memorial.


Ken Burns: Keynote Address at the National Archives


At the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, tour Cedar Hill in Anacostia, the home where the famed abolitionist, author and orator spent his later years.


Photo courtesy University of Texas, Arlington


In tonight’s special keynote address in the William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives, Ken Burns shares his views on the Civil War as the point in our country’s history that most defines us as a nation, as well as personal stories and insights gathered over years of research on the war and its legacies. Later, you’ll have an opportunity to meet Ken Burns.


At the African-American Civil War Memorial & Museum, interactive exhibits and a presentation by Curator Hari Jones transform your understanding of the struggle for freedom.


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