Smithsonian parallels Emancipation, Civil Rights "Slaves were
not passive recipients of freedom," Bunch said. "In essence,
their action of running away forced the federal government to
create policies that culminated in the Emancipation
Proclamation." Facing the former slave's tent in the exhibit is
Lincoln's everyday suit with a long black jacket, bow tie and
his iconic top hat from the Smithsonian collection. It is likely
the first time Lincoln's suit has been next to an encampment
that housed formerly enslaved people since 1865, said Harry
Rubenstein, a curator of political history at the Smithsonian.
Displaying Lincoln's suit this way "tells a powerful story of
him, in a sense, facing this encampment," Rubenstein said.
Lincoln encountered such scenes every day in his final years,
seeing encampments of freed slaves in Washington as he rode
about town. The Civil Rights section includes posters and
placards carried in the March on Washington and shards of
stained glass from the 16th Street Baptist Church in