The compelling letters, rare broadsides, and audio and video recordings in this exhibition serve as witnesses to powerful moments in America’s history. While many of the individuals who donated these collections are gone, their records survive to tell critical stories that inform our lives.
Played out in the courtroom as well as the street, the struggle for equality comes to life through the vivid documents of courage and heroism in The Fight for Freedom. From jounalists who put their lives on the line to freedom riders and protesters who faced mob violence, Americans have fought — and continue to fight — for freedom. Nowhere is this more evident than in the struggle for American civil rights and liberties. In turn, new laws informed by these movements expand our constitutional rights. Today, the First Amendment continues to serve as a living, vital instrument in America’s fight for civil rights.