Each year the Muse Law Library at the University of Richmond School of Law celebrates Constitution Day on September 17. This year we were delighted to bring you two guest speakers: Ana Edwards, Education Program Manager of the American Civil War Museum, and Eden Heilman, Legal Director of the ACLU-VA.
Ms. Edwards walked us through the last days of the Civil War and beyond with a fascinating look at how the lives newly freed people were dramatically changed by the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. She examines in depth the life of Emily Winfree (1832-1919), a woman whose nearly century-long life was bookended by her birth into slavery and death as a free woman. Below, we present Ms. Edwards discussion in full.