Rare, Historic Freedom Documents on Exhibit thru July 24
CINCINNATI, OH – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced today that the exhibition of rare, original copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment has been extended through July 24, 2016. The exclusive, limited engagement was originally scheduled to close on June 30, 2016. The extension is announced as Cincinnati prepares for the Church of God In Christ, Inc. International AIM Convention, the NAACP’s 107th Annual Convention and Cincinnati Music Festival this summer.
The Emancipation Proclamation went on exhibit on the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth last year, June 19, 2015. The Thirteenth Amendment – a rare, handwritten copy of the document that once hung in the office of Speaker of the House, Schuyler Colfax – went on exhibit in January of this year. Both documents are signed by President Abraham Lincoln. More than 90,000 visitors have toured the freedom documents exhibit – making it the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center’s highest attended exhibit.
“We are so incredibly grateful to David, and his team, for allowing the extension of the freedom documents exhibit,” says Dr. Clarence G. Newsome, president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, “I have personally witnessed families reading each document, line-by-line, connecting with two pieces of national history on a personal level. Our nation is still facing many freedom issues and social ills. These documents allow us to see how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go. The history of the Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment is just a relevant today as it was 150 years ago.”
The Emancipation Proclamation and Thirteenth Amendment will be on exhibit at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center through July 24, 2016. To learn more, visit freedomcenter.org