Despite the protests of antislavery settlers, when Illinois became a state in 1818 it entered the Union with a proslavery constitution.
Ongoing strife over the meanings of slavery and freedom in the Prairie State mirrored the larger struggle of a country whose ideals proclaimed liberty but whose reality featured human bondage. As the political arena became a key venue for the struggle, Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln rose to local and national political prominence. Dr. Mary Abroe will explore how their disparate visions of slavery’s future in the United States came to reverberate nationally and helped catalyze a civil war.
And coming on November 28 at 7 pm-Dr. Abroe will facilitate a book discussion of The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics by James Oakes. Registration required for the book discussion.
From the south: Go north on Green Bay Road. Turn left on Wilmette Ave. Turn right on Park Ave. Library is located on the corner of Wilmette Ave. and Park Ave. Parking lot is on the north side of the building.
From the north: Go south on Green Bay Road. Turn right on Wilmette Ave. Turn right on Park Ave. Library is located on the corner of Wilmette Ave. and Park Ave. Parking lot is on the north side of the building.
From I-94 (Edens Expressway):from the South - exit at Lake Ave. East. Go east on Lake Ave. a little over 2 miles. Turn right on Park Ave. • from the North - exit at Rt. 41/Skokie Blvd. Turn left (east) on Lake Ave. Go east on Lake Ave. a little over 2 miles. Turn right on Park Ave.
Mass transit options include CTA, Metra, and Pace.