Civil Rights Bill Passes, 1866
Allyn Cox
Oil on Canvas
1973-1974
The 1866 civil rights bill, which prohibited discrimination on the
bases of race or previous condition of slavery, prefigured the 14th
amendment to the Constitution. In the foreground of the mural, former
slave Henry Garnet is shown speaking with newspaper editor Horace
Greeley, who supported African American suffrage. In the background
are the Columbus doors, which originally led to the House Chamber but
were later moved to the Rotunda entrance.
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