Exhibit showcases Civil War years in Delaware
ON THE GREEN | An exhibition by the UD Library, "A State Divided: Delaware During the Civil War," will be on view in the Lincoln Exhibit Case adjacent to the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery through Dec. 20.
The year 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War (1861-1865). The sesquicentennial (2011-2015) is set to continue over the next three years in cultural institutions around the country to commemorate the nation's greatest conflict fought on its own soil.
As one of five border states—states that remained in the Union but bordered states that joined the Confederacy—Delaware represented a microcosm of the nation as a whole on matters of states' rights, slavery and support for the Union cause. Politics were generally defined geographically: Urban centers like Wilmington in northern New Castle County favored Republicanism, while southern agrarian Kent and Sussex counties were Democratic strongholds.
"A State Divided: Delaware During the Civil War" offers items from Special Collections including books, prints, postcards, speeches, sermons, soldiers' letters, memoirs and other documents showcasing the state at a social, economic and political crossroads. The exhibition, curated by Maureen Cech, assistant librarian in the Special Collections Department, can be viewed during the regular hours of Morris Library.
