From 2006-2008, Oregonians prepared for 200TH Anniversary of the end of the American Slave trade.

Dec. 31, 2008 - PRLog -- With all of the on-going preparations for next year's co-celebration of the Bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln's Birthday and Oregon's Sequicentennial in February 2009, little attention was focused on Oregon's commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the end of the U.S. Slave Trade.

Over a 19-month period, hundreds of inquiring Oregonians participated in several educational events that opened dialogues about slavery in America. It culminated in a week-long look in March at the abolition of the American slave trade as seen through the life and achievements of its most effective opponent: Abraham Lincoln with the Oregon Historical Society's exhibit of ”A House Divided: Lincoln in His Own Words.” More specifically, a Bicentennial commemoration of the end of the U.S. slave trade was held at Portland State University on Friday, March 7, 2008 when the keynote lecture on “Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce and the Abolition of Slavery” was delivered by Dr. James Basker, President of the Gilder-Lehrman Institute and author of several books on the history of slavery; following a screening of the 2007 movie ”Amazing Grace.”

Organizations including the Multnomah County Library, the Oregon Historical Society, Portland State University, the Oregon Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, the PSU Friends of History,Oregon Council for the Humanities, the Oregon Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers and the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretation Center brought in speakers, developed exhibits and designed programs to educate Oregonians before and during the year designated for the end of the U.S. Slave trade Bicentennial.

Here are the dates and events:

March 2006: Multnomah County Library becomes one of 65 venues selected to host the traveling exhibit “Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln and the Journey to Emancipation” coming to Portland in November. Several panels dealt with the issue of U.S. Slavery and its Abolition.

September 2006: The Friends of History at PSU spins off a new group: “Oregon Association for Lincoln Studies” (OALS) to study the life of our 16th President and the history of American Slavery  in preparation for the 2009 commemoration of Lincoln's 200th birthday.

November 14, 2006: The exhibit “Forever Free” opens in the Collins Gallery of the downtown Multnomah County Library.

November 19, 2006: PSU Black Studies Professor Darrell Millner delivers the “Forever Free” keynote lecture on historical portrayals of Lincoln as the “Great Emancipator.”

December 2, 2006:  Free screening of the Academy Award winning movie “Glory” (1989) starring Denzel Washington at the “Forever Free” exhibit.

Spring 2007: Oregon Lincoln Bicentennial Commission led by Chairman Mike Burton starts to meet to plan events to kick off the year-long celebration of Lincoln's Birthday starting in  February 2008.

December 14, 2007: The Oregon Historical Society opens a major new exhibit: “A House Divided: Lincoln in His Own Words” for an initial run through March 31, 2008.

February 12, 2008: Oregon Governor Kulongoski issues a proclamation declaring “February 12, 2008 - February 12, 2010 as Oregon Lincoln Bicentennial Years.”  Part of the proclamation reads: “Whereas Abraham Lincoln helped to end centuries of slavery in the United States by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and through his efforts to ensure passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.”  

February 12 and 13, 2008: Two celebrations of the 199th Anniversary of Lincoln's Birthday. The first takes place in Salem, where actor Steve Holgate opened the morning session of the state legislature in Salem by reciting from President Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. The second takes place on Feb. 13, when the Civil War Round Table (FOH) at PSU celebrated Lincoln's Birthday with another appearance and dramatic reading by Lincoln re-enactor Steve Holgate. All events in February and March are co-sponsored by the PSU Friends of History/Civil War Round Table  and the Oregon Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

March 4, 2008: PSU Day at the Oregon Historical Society.

March 7, 2008: Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the end of the U.S. Slave Trade Day at Portland State University.

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The Friends of History is the non-profit support group, whose volunteers put on special events for the History Department at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.