Voices of the Abolition Movement

Civic Stories: Four Harriets of History

Friday, Friday, March 29 | Noon ET

Run time: 20 minutes

Live ASL Interpretation Available

Explore the lives of four American women—Harriet Robinson Scott, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Jacobs, and Harriet Beecher Stowe—who confronted slavery through literature, lawsuits, and direct action in their efforts to free themselves and others from bondage.

Exhibit Interactive: The 13th Amendment Drafting Table

Read time: 15 minutes

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. First passed by the Senate in April 1864, it was ratified a year and a half later in December 1865. With the Center’s interactive Drafting Table, explore the key historical documents that inspired the authors of this amendment, and discover the timeline of events, deliberations, and draftings of texts that transpired to get it across the finish line, finally ending slavery in America. 

Founders' Library: The Rights of Colored Men (1838)

Read time: 3 minutes

In 1838, abolitionist William Yates published the first legal treatise on the rights of free black Americans. Yates insisted that all free Americans were citizens who were entitled to the “privileges and immunities” guaranteed to citizens in Article IV, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution. Yates’s call for the equal rights of citizenship became law in the 1866 Civil Rights Act and became one of the fundamental principles underlying Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Rights of Colored Men, University of Michigan

Professional Learning for Educators

Voting Rights

Wednesday, April 17 | 6:30–8 p.m. ET

In this session, participants will explore the right to vote throughout history and work to answer several key questions about voting rights in America. Where does the Constitution protect the right to vote? What role did the amendment process play in shaping voting rights? What has the Supreme Court said about the right to vote over time? We will also look at important ways to engage students in civil dialogue about current events and modern questions. 

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