National Archives Celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment December 7
Press Release · Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Washington, DC
Emancipation, America’s Second Founding, and the Challenges That Remain
On Monday, December 7, at 7 p.m., the National Archives hosts a special panel discussion: “The 13th Amendment at 150: Emancipation, America’s Second Founding, and the Challenges That Remain.”
This event is free and open to the public and will be held in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC and streamed live on YouTube. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution at 7th Street NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The doors to the building will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program.
The 13th Amendment, which banned slavery throughout the United States, began a wave of constitutional transformations that followed through on President Lincoln’s promise of “a new birth of freedom” and has been described as the “Second Founding.” For the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 13th Amendment, a panel of experts will explore the challenges that remain. Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Constitution Center, will moderate a discussion with Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; Judge Bernice Donald, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; Judge James Wynn, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit; Thavolia Glymph, professor of history, Duke University; Richard Brookhiser, author and journalist; and Kate Masur, professor of history, Northwestern University. A book signing of Richard Brookhiser’s Founders’ Son: A Life of Lincoln will follow the program. This event is presented in partnership with the Constitutional Accountability Center and the National Constitution Center.
Related resources:
- Online exhibit on the 13th Amendment and its history.
- Free National Archives eBook on the story of the creation of the 13th Amendment: “The Meaning and Making of Emancipation.
- Prologue “Pieces of History” blog post: “ Emancipation Proclamation: The 13th Amendment.”
- Prologue “Pieces of History” blog post: “ Baseball and the 13th Amendment.”
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For press information contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.
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