History

Monthly Features

Featured Photo

Campaign Banner for John Bell, 1860. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. The 1860 presidential election occurred as the United States was on the brink of the Civil War. There were four candidates [PDF 318 KB] on the ballot that year: John Breckinridge, John Bell, Stephen Douglas, and Abraham Lincoln. One of the main issues addressed during the campaign was slavery.

Women's Suffrage

Women voting in New York City, ca. 1920. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. Women did not have the right to vote until the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920.

1965 Voting Rights March

Participants in the 1965 Voting Rights March. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress. Although the 15th Amendment gave Black males the right to vote in 1870, Blacks continued to face barriers to voting. In March 1965, demonstrators marched from Selma to Montgomery, AL, to protest unfair voting practices. Their first attempt ended after violence erupted. In August 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, which outlawed discriminatory practices like requiring literacy tests for voter registration.