"Man's Right to Freedom" presented by Steven A. Cole

Feb 9, 2013 1:00 p.m.

Byron Museum of History 110 N. Union Street in Byron, Illinois, 61010 on the corner of Rt2 and Hwy 72.

Four years before the famous Lincoln/Douglas Debates, Stephen A. Douglas came to the town of Freeport, IL in order to thank his constituents for their support. He had recently passed the Kansas Nebraska Bill. Local abolitionists, including John Addams, Dexter Knowlton and Oscar Taylor, invited the famous former slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass to come and speak in rebuttal.
When Steven A. Cole found out that both Mr. Douglass and Mr. Douglas were in Freeport on the same day in 1854, he decided to do what he could to keep in remembrance this fascinating moment in American History. On Saturday, February 9 at 1:00 p.m. Mr. Cole will present his portrayal of Frederick Douglass and speak of the challenges that Americans faced during the early 1800's. Topics will include Byron's Underground Railroad activity, Lucius Read and the other Abolitionists in the Ogle County area.
“In the beginning, I didn't realize how complex and fascinating the era leading up to the Civil War really was. I became a committed student of History and a Civil War buff.” Seven A. Cole remembers.

For more information, please call the Museum: 815-234-5031, email Marian Michaelis director@byronmuseum.org or visit the museum’s website at www.byronmuseum.org.