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DC Emancipation Act
In 1862, the DC Emancipation Act freed enslaved persons in the District of Columbia. Damani Davis, archivist, discusses petitions filed by owners and slaves under the Act.
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Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse
Eric Jay Dolin traces the evolution of America’s lighthouse system, highlighting the political, military, and technological battles that were fought to illuminate the nation’s hardscrabble coastlines.
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Black Sailors and Citizenship in the Era of the Gag Rule
Kate Masur, professor at Northwestern University, will discuss her book project, “Police Powers, the Anti-Slavery Movement, and the Origins of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
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The Equal Rights Amendment: Yesterday and Today
Written in 1921 by suffragist Alice Paul, the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced into every session of Congress between 1923 and 1972...
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Memorials for the Future
Washington, DC, offers a rich commemorative landscape filled with monuments that evoke a sense of national heritage and identity.
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U.S. Constitutional Amendments
Co-curator Christine Blackerby will discuss the records in our new exhibit, “Amending America,” which celebrates the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights.