Slavery is illegal throughout the nation.
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, was a precursor to the adoption of this amendment. Many Americans, including Frederick Douglass and Angelina Grimke, also fought for an end to slavery by exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech, press, assembly and petition.
Life Without the Bill of Rights? is a click-and-explore activity that asks you to consider how life would change without some of our most cherished freedoms. Life Without the Bill of Rights invites you to understand the significance of constitutionally-protected rights.