The LSU Libraries’ Special Collections have partnered with the PBS documentary program American Experience to contribute material to the “Abolitionist Map of America.” This interactive website explores events, characters, and locations connected to the anti-slavery movement, one of the most important civil rights crusades in American history.

The map is an extension of the three-part series The Abolitionists, premiering Tuesdays, January 8-22, 2013 on PBS. LSU joins dozens of museums, libraries, archives, and PBS member stations in populating the map with geo-tagged historical photos and documents, as well as video clips from The Abolitionists. Individuals are also invited to upload their own content with the goal of creating a map that reflects the movement’s mark on the nation.

LSU has tagged items in Louisiana, Georgia, Virginia, and New York. Among materials contributed is an engraving of Solomon Northup. Born free in the North, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana. A narrative of his experiences, Twelve Years a Slave, was published in 1853 and became a bestseller. Other items include several antislavery newspapers published in Rochester and New York City that were once owned by John Quitman, a Mississippi planter who was one of the most outspoken opponents of abolition.

To view the map, or to learn more about The Abolitionists, visit the American Experience website at:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/

The map is being managed and promoted by Casey Davis, a graduate of LSU's School of Library and Information Science, and now Special Projects Assistant at WGBH Boston, which produces American Experience. Geaux Tigers!