RALEIGH –A unique exhibit featuring the Tar Heel State’s first African American legislators is opening Saturday, Feb. 9 at the State Capitol and will remain on display through June 1. “With All Our Rights: North Carolina’s First African American Legislators” explores the North Carolina’s political climate following the emancipation of North Carolina’s enslaved population (1862) and Reconstruction (1865-1877). It details the progress made by African Americans between 1865 and 1876 as well as the later rise of the white supremacy movement, which effectively restricted African American political participation for the next 60 years. In conjunction with the exhibit opening, the Capitol will present at the N.C. Museum of History a new video on the African American town of Princeville in Edgecombe County. The exhibit and video screening are free and open to the public.
Besides spotlighting the state’s first African American state legislators, “With All Our Rights” traces the effects of the Reconstruction Amendments in North Carolina, the Freedmen’s Convention in Raleigh and the Constitutional Convention of 1868. Artifacts exhibited include the Civil Constitution of 1868 and even a 19th century ballot box. Of particular interest is the story of George White, North Carolina’s last black congressman elected in the Reconstruction era. By then the lone African American from North Carolina serving in Congress, White became a favorite target of Josephus Daniels’ News & Observer. The newspaper attacked White mercilessly, even featuring him in unflattering caricatures. These images will be exhibited to illustrate the ugly political climate of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The state did not send another African American to Congress until Eva Clayton was elected in 1992.
The documentary, “This Side of the River: Self Determination and Survival in the Oldest Black Town in America” recounts the history of the North Carolina town of Princeville on Edgecombe County, founded by freed slaves in 1865. It will be screened at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 in the N.C. Museum of History auditorium. A panel discussion at the museum will follow the video presentation and attendees will then be invited to stroll over to the Capitol for the unveiling of “With All Our Rights.”
Before the Civil War, more enslaved African Americans were held in this county than any other in the state. Following emancipation, this newly enfranchised population cast their votes to send black statesmen to the Capitol in Raleigh. Princeville and its remarkable history became widely known in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The powerful storm caused the Tar River to rise and when the town flooded, many figured it could not be saved. The residents returned to their homes, however, and voted to rebuild their hometown. Princeville will celebrate its 123rd birthday Feb. 20, 2008.
A National Historic Landmark, the N.C. State Capitol is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of the Greek Revival style of architecture in the U.S. It features a domed rotunda and state senate and house chambers, meticulously restored to their 1840 appearance. Until 1888, its granite walls housed all of state government and the legislature met here until 1961. Today, the governor and his staff still occupy offices in the Capitol.
The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the architecture, history, and functions of the 1840 Capitol building and Union Square where it is located. In downtown Raleigh, the State Capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington Streets. Free parking is available in state lots near the Capitol. For more information on either of these Black History Month programs, call (919) 733-4994.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the State Capitol is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2008 theme observance of “Telling Our Stories”. For more information, visit http://www.ncculture.com/.