Digital Collections

The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of primary source materials associated with the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, including government documents, manuscripts, and newspaper articles. Provided below is a link to the home page for each relevant digital collection along with selected highlights.

Congressional Publications

Congress.gov
This collection contains congressional publications from 1789 to the present, including debates, bills, laws, and journals from the 38th Congress (March 4, 1863 to March 4, 1865). Search this collection to find debate on the 13th Amendment (S.J. Res. 16) in the Congressional Globe

Abraham Lincoln Papers

Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress
The papers of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), lawyer, representative from Illinois, and sixteenth president of the United States, contain approximately 40,550 documents dating from 1774 to 1948, although most of the collection spans from the 1850s through Lincoln’s presidency (1861-1865).

Selected highlights from this collection:

African American Pamphlets

African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection
"African American Perspectives" gives a panoramic and eclectic review of African American history and culture and is primarily comprised of two collections in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division: the African American Pamphlet Collection and the Daniel A.P. Murray Collection with a date range of 1822 through 1909.

Selected pamphlets from this collection:

The Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana

The Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana
This collection documents the life of Abraham Lincoln both through writings by and about Lincoln as well as a large body of publications concerning the issues of the times including slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and related topics.

Selected highlights from this collection:

Historic Newspapers

Chronicling America
Historic American newspapers selected and contributed by state partners in the National Digital Newspaper Program.

13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents in American History

History, Humanities & Social Sciences: Ask a Librarian

Digital Collections

Congressional Publications

Abraham Lincoln Papers

Selected highlights from this collection:

African American Pamphlets

Selected pamphlets from this collection:

The Alfred Whital Stern Collection of Lincolniana

Selected highlights from this collection:

Historic Newspapers

Selected articles from this collection: