#some areas were under the ottomans for six centuries and others never got freed

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Gennadius Library to celebrate the bicentennial of the 1821 Greek War of Independence with an exhibition honoring American Philhellenism  - by Maria Georgopoulou

The exhibition, which will also be available online, is based on rare archival materials from the Gennadius Library as well as paintings and philhellenic objects from museums and private collections in Greece.

When, in 1821, the Greeks rose in rebellion after almost four centuries of Ottoman rule, Americans helped to arouse public sentiment and sympathy in favor of Greece, raised money and provisions to aid the cause, and lobbied their representatives to recognize Hellenic independence.

Philhellenes sought to convince the American public that Greece, as the birthplace of western civilization, deserved to be resurrected as a free and democratic state. Due to the government policy of neutrality established by the Monroe doctrine (December 1823), it was Americans as individuals who gathered to support the Greek independence movement and established philhellenic societies throughout the United States, culminating in the so-called “Greek fever.”

The cruelty of the war, especially the massacre of Chios, and the death of Lord Byron in Missolonghi inspired many young Americans to join the Greek revolutionaries.

Emphasis is given to a little known topic: the role Greek emancipation played in the progress toward the abolition of slavery in the United States. By highlighting the impact of one of the most famous statues by an American sculptor (Hiram Powers’s The Greek Slave), the exhibit seeks to enlighten viewers about the empathetic connection between Greek victims of Ottoman oppression and African slaves in America.

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