Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, National Portrait Gallery, Civil Rights Act, Emancipation Declaration, American Civil War, racial segregation, non-violent advocacy, African-American community
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Abstract
Explore the National Portrait Gallery's collection featuring iconic leaders Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting their significance in American history.
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[...] He raises a hand in the air to emphasize the weight of his words and a black man is raising a fist in the foreground, a symbol of black power. We can also see a black man smiling from ear to ear on the left of the pulpit, a vision of hope that would eventually lead to the signing of the civil rights Act of 1964 putting an end to racial segregation in the USA. This photograph presents a powerful link between the two leaders, the columns, the marches and their message echoing back and forth through a century. [...]
[...] Lincoln was strongly opposed to the southern states who threatened disunion. His election triggered a series of events leading eventually to the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861 marking the beginning of the American Civil War. While often being depicted as the great liberator, what Lincoln was trying to avoid, first and foremost, was the dissolution of the Union. This portrait shows a younger and prim Lincoln. Actually, the portrait used in this poster dates back to 1860 when Lincoln was nominated as the candidate of the Republican party. [...]
[...] This is Martin Luther King, and this picture was taken in 1963 at the conclusion of what came to be known as the march on Washington for civil rights. This is when MLK gave his famous have a dream" speech, closing the loop on a hundred years of social struggle for the African-American community after Lincoln's Emancipation declaration of 1863." A baptist minister born in the southern state of Georgia, MLK had been confronted to racial segregation from birth. However, he stood out for preaching non-violence in a social climate fraught with violence. [...]
[...] We are in the East Gallery to take a look at this portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Our collection boasts numerous portraits of this man who is arguably the most iconic American president of the 19th century.the century along with Andrew Jackson. However, this one is all important as it was published in March 1861, days after Lincoln's inauguration. Born into poverty in Kentucky on February, 12ththe 1809, Lincoln followed into the steps of countless self-made men. His family moved to Illinois and he became a lawyer through self-teaching. [...]
