Slavery, and the prejudice it fostered, remains the central tragedy of American history. How could it be that a nation founded
on huaman equality was also home to one of the harshest labor systems the modern world has known? This exhibition looks for answers
in the progress of Abraham Lincoln towards a higher realization of American's ideals. Lincoln hated slavery, yet he did not support
immediate emancipation. Lincoln became the great emancipator only when he and his nation were recast in the crucible war. A war never really starts with the first shot. There are years of events leading up to it as well as years of recovery after. So when we think of Civil War quilts
we are really talking about many years of quilting. The Story of Civil War quilts is a mixture of fact and myth. The oral tradition may not give us absolutely accurate information but it often reflects a greater truth of our pride in our country and hopes for it's future. There are intriguing stories of how quilts were used to help the slaves escape through the Underground Railroad. A Log Cabin quilt hanging in a window with a black center for the chimney hole was said to indicate a safe house. Underground Railroad quilts, a variation of Jacob's Ladder, were said to give cues as to the safe path to freedom. Research on the Underground Railroad has found no evidence that this actually occurred but these stories have been told from generation to genearation filling our imagiantion with visions of quilts being a part of the flight for freedom.