Civil War and Reconstruction: The Battle for Freedom and Equality Press Kit

Officeholders By The Numbers

Discover the stories of African American men who held political office during Reconstruction.

In Their Own Words

Listen to recollections of slavery and freedom from formerly enslaved individuals.

The Drafting Table

Learn about how the drafting of the 14th Amendment's provisions changed over time.

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Courtesy of the National Constitution Center by Peter Van Beever. 

Commemorative copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Lincoln, 1864

On loan from The Galbraith Family 2012 Trust

“Colored” ballot box from Virginia’s first election that permitted African-American voters, 1867

Courtesy of the Library of Virginia

Illustrated letter from a Civil War soldier complaining of the heavy loads they are required to carry, 1863

Courtesy of The Civil War Museum of Philadelphia and The Abraham Lincoln Foundation of The Union League of Philadelphia

Major General John Reynolds’s sash that he was wearing when he was killed at Gettysburg

Collection of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia on loan from Gettysburg Foundation

Fragment of the flag that Lincoln raised at Independence Hall, 1861

From the Collection of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia on loan from Gettysburg Foundation

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln by David Bustill Bowser, an African-American artist, ca. 1864-68

From the Collection of the Civil War Museum of Philadelphia on loan from Gettysburg Foundation