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.

The third page of the Emancipation Proclamation.  Click on the image to examine it more closely.

The fourth page of the Emancipation Proclamation.  Click on the image to examine it more closely.

President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863. It freed slaves in the Confederacy, but Lincoln had no power over the Co...

Page from the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano (also known as "Gustavus Vassa, The African"). Click on the image for a better view.

Page from the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano (also known as "Gustavus Vassa, The African"). On this page, Equiano chides "nominal Christians" for t...

Page from the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano (also known as "Gustavus Vassa, The African"). On this page, Equiano reminds "haughty" Europeans that ...

This is the first page of Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt, which led to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World...

This image depicts the first page of Executive Order 9981, signed by President Truman, which - for the first time in American history - gave equal rig...

Image of the second page of Executive Order 9981, signed by President Truman. Click on the image for a better view.

The United States of America filed a criminal case against Susan B. Anthony for unlawfully voting in the 1872 presidential election.  After she w...

Image of Virginia Governor John Floyd's letter to John Hamilton. Click on the image for a better view.

Image of Virginia Governor John Floyd's letter to John Hamilton - page 2. Click on the image for a better view.

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