Demand for John Brown’s surrender
This is a formal summons by Colonel Robert E. Lee for the surrender of John Brown and his fellow insurgents barricaded in the armory at Harpers Ferry, located on the...
Draft resolution to end slavery
This is a draft of a joint resolution that started in the Senate. A joint resolution is a formal opinion adopted by both houses of the legislative branch. A...
Free to be married
This is a marriage certificate issued to Peter Thompson and Maria Hall, both former slaves, in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, on January 28, 1867. While many...
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
In 1820, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise, which admitted Missouri into the nation as a slave state and Maine as a free state. The Compromise established the...
Married at 80
While many slave couples formed lasting bonds during their enslavement, slave marriages had no legal foundation or protection. The abolishment of slavery not only...
Mr. and Mrs. Bunel
While many slave couples formed lasting bonds during their enslavement, slave marriages had no legal foundation or protection. The abolishment of slavery not only...
Pennsylvanians reject slavery
This petition asked Congress to abolish slavery within the United States and to block the admission of any new state that allowed slavery within its borders....