A handful of documents changed the character of the United States, and the 13th Amendment — which formally ended legal slavery in this country — is one of them. North Carolina’s copy of the 13th Amendment will be on display June 28 at Tryon Palace’s North Carolina History Center.
This exhibition is free to the public and lasts from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
In observance of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and in recognition of Juneteenth — June 19, the date many African-Americans observe as when the last of the enslaved in 1865 learned they were free. North Carolina’s copy of the 13th Amendment is touring around the state in June.
There are seven planned stops on the tour, all at state historical sites. This tour will be the first time that the document has traveled outside of Raleigh.
“The 13th Amendment wasn’t just a symbol of freedom; it was indissoluble proof that equality means nothing if it is not meant for all,” said Gov. Pat McCrory. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of this rare exhibition to view one of the most important documents in our history.”
Tryon Palace will be host to the 13th Amendment on its seventh and final stop on the state tour. Normally stored in a climate-controlled vault of the State Archives of North Carolina, the document will be on display in the History Center for one day only.
Two artifacts related to enslaved North Carolinians will accompany the document during its time at the History Center.
On loan from the N.C. Museum of History’s collection, the two items include a shoe that was made during the Civil War for an unidentified enslaved person in Johnston County.
The other item is a shackle that physically embodies the chained relocation of Africans to the Americas. Restraints — like the shackle that will be on display — bound enslaved African-Americans for transportation, sale or purchase, as well as for punishment. The traveling exhibit is a collaboration among the State Archives, Division of State Historic Sites, Museum of History, and the N.C. African-American Heritage Commission.
Call 639-3500 or visit tryonpalace.org on the web.