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Permanent Exhibition Deep Roots, Rising WatersThis exhibition provides an overview of African American history in Maryland from 1633 through present day. The exhibition highlights the contributions of famous Marylanders including Mathias De Sousa, Kunta Kinte, Benjamin Banneker, James Pennington, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Matthew Henson, Herbert Frisby, Thurgood Marshall, and many more. Learn how African Americans throughout Maryland made lasting changes for all Americans. Temporary Exhibitions  Seeking Liberty: Annapolis, An Imagined CommunityMarch 4, 2008 through November 29, 2008 In 2008, the right to citizen-elected representation in Annapolis will be 300 years old. The city charter granted to Annapolis in 1708 gave the city political reality. With this exhibit we commemorate the current anniversary by celebrating the quest for liberty. “Seeking Liberty” characterizes Annapolis from the beginning. It was a home to religious dissidents, political dissidents during the American Revolution, and many free African Americans before Emancipation who fought very hard for the freedom of those who were enslaved. Archaeologists from Archaeology in Annapolis, the University of Maryland and Historic Annapolis Foundation have dug over forty sites in Annapolis in twenty-six years. We’ve had a great time and we’ve discovered the city’s treasures. Much of the best archaeology was from the 18th century. We have found material belonging to European colonists and lots of materials that belong to African Americans. We’ve uncovered material from as early as the late 17th century and as recent as the 20th century. There is archaeology almost everywhere in the city and we are going to show it off during the City’s 300th anniversary.  The “Seeking Liberty” exhibit features artifacts from five sites in Historic Annapolis: the Governor Calvert House, Reynolds Tavern, the Jonas Green House, the Brice House and the Maynard-Burgess House. Many of these artifacts have never been on display for the public before this. We hope you will visit the exhibit which will be on display at the Banneker-Douglas Museum in Annapolis from February through November 2008. There will also be a few smaller exhibits open to the public at some of the sites involved in the exhibit.The exhibition was funded by a grant from Preserve America. This exhibition features a free cell phone audio tour generously funded by a grant from the Four Rivers Heritage Area. Click here to view the exhibition website. Click here to view the exhibition blog. Click here to listen to Guest Curator Mark Leone on NPR's All Things Considered. Seaworthy: The Story of the United States Navy's Black Admirals and Their Contributions to the Nation April 27, 2008 through November, 2008 Prior to World War II, laws prohibited African-Americans from serving as officers in the United States Navy. It was the combined pressures of World War II, with its growing requirement for talented manpower, and the efforts of many civil rights organizations, that finally convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to establish a new policy to enable African Americans to earn a commission in the armed forces. In the spring of 1944, thirteen African Americans were commissioned as naval officers and soon became known as the "Golden 13" because of the gold Ensign stripe they wore so proudly on their uniforms. Within a few months, the "Golden 13" were joined by Francis Wills and Harriet Pickens, the Navy's first African-American women officers. In the years to follow many more African-American college graduates would gain their commissions through the Navy V-12 Cadet Program, Officer Candidate School, the NROTC Program, and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1971, after twenty-seven years of dedicated service to the nation and exceptional performance as a leader on ships at sea and in many high visibility assignments abroad, Samuel L. Gravely, a native of Richmond, Virginia, was selected for promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral. Since then, a small but distinguished group of African-American officers have followed in his footsteps. Last updated: May 8, 2008 |