PEORIA, Ill. – The documents that helped shape American history will be coming to the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
“The Promise of Liberty” will bring copies of documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, and the “I Have a Dream” speech. The exhibit is part of a larger celebration at the Riverfront Museum for America’s 250th birthday next year that’s being guest curated by Ken Burns.
Seth Kaller is a document specialist and guest curator for the Riverfront Museum. He tells WMBD’s “The Phil Luciano Show” that the documents were a blueprint for liberty in the United States, even as not everyone was free at the time of their creation.
“These founding documents really aren’t so relevant, not because they described the reality that existed at the time, the founders weren’t delusional, but they were setting a path towards liberty, that aspiration that you would have to grow into,” Kaller said.
Kaller says the version of the Emancipation Proclamation that will be in Peoria comes from a private collection. He says the copy that will be on display is one of 48 that was signed by Abraham Lincoln, as part of an effort to sell copies to raise money for the war effort.
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