Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln’s Journey to Emancipation
The exhibit consists of reproductions of rare historical documents from the Huntington Library’s collections and those of the Gilder-Lehrman Institute and
draws on the latest scholarship in the field. The exhibition focuses on young Lincoln’s America, the House divided, war for the Union, the Emancipation Proclamation,
the role of black soldiers in the Civil War, and the final months of the Civil War and Lincoln’s life. The Ocean County Library is the only library in New Jersey
selected to host this exhibit.
Organized by the Huntington Library, San Marino, California, and the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History, New York City, in cooperation with the American
Library Association Public Programs Office. This exhibition was made possible by major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, promoting excellence in
the humanities, and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, created by Congress and charged with planning the national celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday.