The Atlanta History Center has opened its most ambitious exhibit yet, ‘More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era.’ The exhibit takes on the task of telling the long tale of the Civil War, from the foundations of slavery to the long legacy it leaves behind.

Exhibit Details

The exhibit features hundreds of artifacts and roughly 9,000 square feet of space. It begins with a bang, or more accurately, the din of dozens of overlapping frenzied voices. According to Sheffield Hale, the President and CEO of the Atlanta History Center, the exhibit design takes visitors through the story, from the foundations of slavery to shots fired, a fraught war and the long legacy it leaves behind.

The first alcove is packed with screens, each showing photos and illustrations from the Civil War era. Voices are layered atop each other. It’s overwhelming, and Hale says that is the point. ‘That’s the way they were fighting with each other,’ he explained.

Historical Significance

The exhibit attempts to answer the question of what a more perfect union really looks like. It begins with slavery, which is the foundation of the United States. Slave labor was used to build the physical structures, tools and goods of the early United States. But it created a contradiction at the core of the country. Who is free? There were dueling visions at play, and the center shows both of them.

Hale’s favorite detail is the striking inclusion of Frederick Douglass’ landmark 1852 speech ‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’ The history center has 15 of about 100 known copies of the speech, with one on display in the exhibit.

Original reporting: SaportaReport — read the source article.