Civil Rights Documents

Are people born free? Do governments give rights to citizens or do citizens give-up some rights in exchange for good government? These are stories about people seeking and achieving their civil rights.

This image is a facsimile of the signatures which appear on the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

Ann Maria Jackson, and her seven children, escaped slavery and made it to Canada.  William Still includes their story in his book, The Undergroun...

In this image we see Susan B. Anthony's personal copy of her trial transcript.  She was accused, tried and found guilty of unlawfully voting in t...

Image of a drawing depicting the destruction of a printing press, from the Anti-Slavery Almanac, 1839.

Page from the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano (also known as "Gustavus Vassa, The African"). As Equiano's ship drew closer to land, he was allowed t...

This is the first page of Charles Schenck's anti-draft leaflet which caused him to be charged with sedition against the United States. His case, asse...

This is the second page of Charles Schenck's leaflet opposing the draft during World War I.   The U.S. Supreme Court eventually ruled that he, a...

This is page 3, of Charley Williams' story, and concludes his oral history as a former American slave. Note that to maintain authenticity, writers tr...

In occupied Holland, Dutch churches issued a collective protest against the treatment of the country's Jews: The undersigned Dutch Churches, alread...

The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was intended to provide protection for African-Americans.  The United States Supreme Court, however, found it to be ...

Children were committed to institutions, in Ireland, known as "Industrial Schools." Subsequent investigations reveal that children suffered greatly in...

Celia, a Slave, had no last name.  She could not read.  She could not write.  She was accused of murdering her "master" while defendin...

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