This is the story of American history, the hard-to-digest parts that put a nation dedicated to liberty in conflict with itself from the very beginning.
Slavery was at the center of America’s birth, fueled its economic growth and cost hundreds of thousands of lives in a war that threatened the country’s survival. The cultural, social and financial impacts of that institution ripple through to the present.
On this page you will explore artifacts — some ugly, some inspiring — that take you into that history. It explores the personal collection of artifacts collected by Jeffrey Coopersmith, a Seattle attorney with a deep interest in history and matters of equality.