National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: Thirteenth Amendment Exhibition

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, educates the public about freedom heroes and human rights issues past and present.

The Carlyle Group is lending the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center a rare, handwritten copy of the Thirteenth Amendment, being exhibited January through June 2016. Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except for the punishment of a crime.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is currently exhibiting a rare, signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, also on loan from The Carlyle Group. The Emancipation Proclamation laid the groundwork for the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center president, views the loan of these documents as "reflective of the value and importance of our institution, one that will continue to enable us to engage and educate the public through compelling historical documents and artifacts." Dr. Newsome adds that the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center emphasizes that lessons from the past have present relevance, "as the effects of institutionalized slavery and racism continue to plague us in modern forms."

Visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to see these documents that played an integral role in our nation's fight for freedom and equality.

Photo courtesy of National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.