Stop and enjoy our new traveling exhibit, courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.
Fire & Freedom: Food & Enslavement in Early America: explores how meals reveal how power is exchanged between and among different peoples, races, genders and classes.
The story is told in 6 panels detailing how, during the early colonial era, European settlers survived by relying upon indentured servants, Native Americans, and African slave labor for life-saving knowledge of farming and food acquisition. Without this knowledge, Europeans suffered poor nutrition, in addition to widespread illness caused by the lack of medical care. Through the labor of slaves, like those at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, we can learn about the ways that meals transcend taste and sustenance.
Visit the Fire & Freedom online exhibit for more information and links to education resources.
The exhibit panels will be on display on the first floor of Abbott Library through October 5, 2024.
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The National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health produced Fire & Freedom: Food & Enslavement in Early America and companion website. Research assistance provided by staff at The Washington Library at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Guest curated by PsycheWilliams-Forson, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair, American Studies, University of Maryland College Park.