Digital History Home
Section 2: Building the Black Community: The Family Section 2: Building the Black Community: The Church Section 2: Building the Black Community: The School Section 2: Quest for Economic Autonomy and Equal Rights Section 2: Memory and Mourning Section 2: Violence

Union banner, silk and wool with paint on linen, made by Rachel Simon Lewis, 1855.

Union banner, silk and wool with paint on linen, made by Rachel Simon Lewis, 1855.
(Chicago Historical Society)

Click image to enlarge.

Previous page Image 38 of 40 Next page Gallery of Images for this section

Although the majority of white Southerners supported the Confederacy, some, like the Lewis family of Richmond, remained loyal to the Union.

When federal troops entered the city on April 3, 1865, they removed this banner from its hiding place behind a mirror and hung it in front of their home as a sign of victory.

The banner commemorates George Washington's victory at the battle of Yorktown, which ended the American Revolutionary War.
Copyright 2003
A New Birth of Freedom: Reconstruction During the Civil War The Meaning of Freedom: Black and White Responses to Slavery From Free Labor to Slave Labor Rights and Power: The Politics of Reconstruction Introduction The Ending of Reconstruction Epilogue Additional Resources Credits for this Exhibit