BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//sebbo.net//ical-generator//EN NAME:Highland Park Public Library X-WR-CALNAME:Highland Park Public Library BEGIN:VEVENT UID:006acb45-95ef-4954-9432-a56db33517f1 SEQUENCE:0 DTSTAMP:20260723T081443Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20220228T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20220228T150000 SUMMARY:Did Black Lives Matter In Early Illinois? LOCATION:Highland Park Public Library\nHighland Park Public Library X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Highland Park Public Libra ry;X-APPLE-RADIUS=10;X-TITLE=Highland Park Public Library:geo:42.1844,-87. 7966982 GEO:42.1844;-87.7966982 DESCRIPTION:Dr. Caroline Kisiel\, an Illinois Humanities Road Scholar\, pr esents a program about the struggle over whether the new State of Illinois would remain a free state or become a slave state. .\nhttps://hplibrary.l ibnet.info/event/6113384 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

In 1818\, Illinois entered the United Stat es with a Constitution declaring itself a free state\, following the guida nce of the 1787 Northwest Ordinance\, which outlawed slavery north of the Ohio River. But slavery&rsquo\;s roots went back centuries in the region\, and its hold on the young state was strong. In the first years of stateho od\, the Illinois legislature had a number of proslavery advocates who mad e a bold attempt to change the Constitution to allow slavery. They had alr eady succeeded in building in limited slavery clauses into the 1818 Consti tution which were to sunset in 1825\, and they now wished to expand this f oothold. Other voices vehemently fought against them\, ultimately prevaili ng to preserve the free state.

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Who were these voices advocating fo r a permanent constitutional change to allow slavery? And who stood up aga inst them\, preserving the free state of Illinois we know? And ultimately\ , in what ways did these opposing voices support Black lives\, or not? Thi s performance-presentation offers a dramatic reading/adaptation of the voi ces of three key proslavery figures (Territorial Governor\, Ninian Edwards \; secretary of the Illinois Territory\, Joseph P. Phillips\; and proslave ry delegate\, Adolphus Frederick Hubbard) and three antislavery figures (G overnor Edward Coles\; anti-convention legislator\, Nicholas Hansen\; Engl ish emigrant and Illinois Secretary of State\, Morris Birkbeck) from this period.

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While stories of prominent antislavery figures from later years are more widely recognized (Elijah Lovejoy\, Abraham Lincoln)\, the very early years of statehood were marked by a significant struggle for an d against slavery that illuminates the inheritance of what some called &ld quo\;old slavery&rdquo\; in the region\, and what was often benignly maske d as &ldquo\;servitude.&rdquo\; Historical records offer these six figures &rsquo\; words\, which will be given a voice in the twenty-first century t hrough this performance-presentation.

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But their voices are only pa rt of the story\, as their rationales for or against slavery were not simp ly black and white\, so to speak. After hearing selections from these figu res from the past\, a brief presentation will illuminate the complexities of their rationales\, their backgrounds and views\, and the forces that sh aped their views. Connections to current debates and our inherited legacie s of racial understandings will be explored.

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Caroline Kisiel is a public historian and educator who has been teaching for over 25 years. Wit h a background in immigration law\, literature\, history\, storytelling\, and performance\, Caroline writes and presents on early Illinois history a nd is currently conducting research on the role of Albion\, Illinois in th e struggle to keep Illinois slavery-free in the early years of statehood. Her presentations showcase researched information\, historical documents\, dramatic readings\, and can offer facilitated audience engagement activit ies around critical questions of the value of history and activism through themes of early Illinois struggles to keep slavery at bay in the state an d key early Illinois figures in this period.

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This program is spons ored by the Friends of the Highland Park Public Library.

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This prog ram will not be recorded.

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 \; \; \; \; This is part of the Illinois Humanities R oad Scholars program. \; Illinois Humanities is supported in part by t he National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Illinois General As sembly [through the Illinois Arts Council Agency(IACA)]\, as well as by co ntributions from individuals\, foundations and corporations.Any views\, fi ndings\, conclusions\, or recommendations expressed by speakers\, program participants\, or audiences do not necessarily reflect those of the NEH\, Illinois Humanities\, IACA\,our partnering organizations\, or our funders.

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\nhttps://hplibrary.libnet.info/event/61133 84 URL;VALUE=URI:https://hplibrary.libnet.info/event/6113384 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/hplibrary/kisiel-caroline. jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR