With Liberty and Justice for All

About this exhibit

This exhibit focuses upon four key transformative moments in the American quest for freedom: the Revolutionary Era, the Antislavery Movement and Civil War Era, the Woman’s Suffrage Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement. It highlights the people and iconic artifacts that were involved in those moments, and encourages you to consider the important debates and struggles. From the Rosa Parks Bus to George Washington’s humble camp cot and the rocking chair Abraham Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated, you'll journey through America’s fight for freedom and celebrate the courage to maintain it.

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The Henry Ford is exploring a future revitalization of With Liberty and Justice for All. Learn more about the project, including ways to share your feedback.

Highlights

Engraved Copy of the 1776 Declaration of Independence, Commissioned by John Quincy Adams, Printed 1823

This is an exact, precise facsimile of one of America's greatest documents. It is one of two hundred copies commissioned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams in 1820. It is an engraving made from the original document. Two copies each were given to the surviving signers and the rest distributed to Congress, state governments and colleges and universities.

"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass," 1845

Frederick Douglass became a leader in the anti-slavery movement when he spontaneously stood up and spoke at an abolitionist meeting in 1841. Douglass wrote about his life as a slave to support the growing abolitionist movement. This book led to his career as a reform journalist. His gut-wrenching tales about life on the plantation in Maryland turned thousands of skeptical Americans into active abolitionists.

Political Banner, New York State Woman Suffrage Party, 1910

This banner was carried in rallies and marches by members of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party. Reformers had been advocating giving women the vote since the 1840s. However, it was not until the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 that women gained the vote.

Rocking Chair Used by Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater the Night of His Assassination, April 14, 1865

President Abraham Lincoln was sitting in this rocking chair during a production of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., when he was assassinated on April 14, 1865. Henry Ford purchased the chair in 1929 for the Museum, where it remains one of the most revered objects associated with the "man who saved the Union."

Rosa Parks Bus

Inside this bus on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a soft-spoken African-American seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white man, breaking existing segregation laws. The flawless character and quiet strength she exhibited successfully ignited action in others. For this, many believe Rosa Parks's act was the event that sparked the Civil Rights movement.

"Whites Only" Drinking Fountain, 1954

From the late 19th through the mid-20th centuries, segregation laws in Southern states separated African Americans and whites in almost every aspect of public life -- from railroad cars and schools to restrooms and drinking fountains. Varying from state to state, these laws were supposed to establish facilities that were "separate but equal." In reality, these were almost never equal.

With Liberty and Justice For All

Check out extraordinary artifacts that tell stories about the pioneering social innovators involved in the American quest for freedom. You'll see them first-hand when you journey through our With Liberty and Justice for All exhibit in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.