Battleground for Freedom:

Digital image by Stephen Marc

Join with the National Park Service,
Network to Freedom Program…

and its partners for the 4th annual national conference on the history and heritage of the Underground Railroad. This four-day event in the capital of Kansas features Quintard Taylor, James Loewen, Paul Finkelman, Kristen Tegtmeier-Oertel, Susheel Bibbs and other renowned historians along with engaging workshops, regional tours, exhibits and vendors, and partner networking.

As the United States expanded westward, North and South clashed over their vision—with or without slavery. Amidst this battle the plight of enslaved individuals became a dramatic opportunity to fight for freedom. The conference will explore how the Underground Railroad in the West influenced the national and territorial struggle to bring Kansas into the Union—whether slave or free. The outcomes are to this day profound. We'll also explore ways in which present day people transcend local histories and make connections to a larger national story with global significance.

Topeka, state capital and host city, was the southern terminus of the Jim Lane Trail over which hundreds escaped slavery. Make your Capitol Plaza Hotel reservations early at (800) 579-7937 to receive the conference rate. We look forward to meeting YOU in July 2010!

Area Exhibits Highlight Conference Themes

John Brown Photo Chronology, by Jean Libby
Kansas State Historical Society thru July 31

Bunce Island, A British Slave Castle in Sierra Leone
Kansas City Public Library thru August 8

Color in Freedom, Journey Along the Underground Railroad
Kansas City Public Library thru August 1

Freedom School Scholars Create Art for the 2010 National Underground Railroad Conference in Topeka.
These students are working with award winning illustrator Shane Evans and park rangers from the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site to create posters on stories of the Underground Railroad in Kansas. The posters will be displayed during the conference at the Capital Plaza Hotel, Topeka, KS, July 28-31.

Atop the Statehouse dome, Ad Astra aims for the stars as Kansas enters the Union at the dawn of the Civil War. Photo: Dean O'Neill

2010 Hosts

	National Park Service Network to Freedom Program
	Organization of American Historians (OAH)
	National Park Foundation
	The African American Experience Fund
	Kansas Humanities Council
	Visit Topeka, Inc.
	Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research
	Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
	Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
	Kansas Historical Society (KHS)
	Kansas Network to Freedom
	Kansas City Public Library
	Capitol Federal
Host & Partner links