88-year-old Mrs. Sally Fickland, a former slave, looking at the Emancipation Proclamation in 1947.

She would have been 3 years old when Lincoln signed the proclamation in 1862.

Due to its fragile condition—it was printed on both sides of poor-quality 19th-century paper, unlike the Constitution, which is written on more durable parchment—the Emancipation Proclamation can only be displayed for 30 hours each year.

January 30, 2014 | Categories: History, Photography, Pursuit of Happiness, The Drama Of It All, The Politics of Cultural Destruction, Weird | Tags: AMERICA, Death, Emancipation Proclamation, Fight, former slave, Government, History, Photo, Photography, Politics, sad, Sally Fickland, slavery, US Politics, USA, Weird | Leave a comment