Pottery, Shoes, and Paths to Freedom: Crafting Independence in Early America

Join The Charleston Museum and Drayton Hall for a lecture by Dr. Lindsay Bloch, Collections Manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History, on Thursday, October 25th.

In 1768, with an eye towards revolution, Benjamin Franklin urged, “let us industriously manufacture that we can for ourselves.” In cities, towns, and on plantations, makers and artisans of all kinds worked to produce items that offered a path to greater economic independence. At times, such trades also provided a means for personal independence of enslaved people. In this talk, Dr. Bloch will discuss two crafts: earthenware pottery and shoemaking. Drawing on archaeological materials and documentary evidence such as runaway slave ads and store accounts, she will explain how pots and shoes became material markers of freedom in Early America. This lecture is free and registration is encouraged.

For more information, and to register, please visit: Charleston Museum events.