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...
Documenting Human Cargo
On January 1, 1808, Congress prohibited the foreign importation of slaves into the United States. However, slaves were still sold and transported within the borders...
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...
Failed compromise
As southern states began seceding during the winter of 1860–61, several compromises were proposed to hold the nation together. One was a constitutional amendment...
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...
Impact on the South
The Confederacy depended on enslaved people to build fortifications, cook, drive supply wagons, work in hospitals, and produce munitions. Slave labor also planted and...
Indignant citizens protest
Citizens of Minnesota sent this fiery petition to Congress during the winter of 1861, demanding that the United States recapture the forts, arms, and other Federal...