A single sheet signed on both sides by two of the most important political figures of 1868: Ulysses S. Grant and Senator Charles Sumner. The signature of Charles Sumner is especially significant because it was inscribed the day of President Johnson's impeach vote. The effort to impeach President Johnson was partially led by Charles Sumner.

Recto: Inscription by Ulysses S. Grant. Washington, D.C., 13 May 1868. Verso: Autograph note signed by Charles Sumner. Senate Chambers, [Washington, D.C.], 16 May 1868. 2 pages, 8vo.

Recto features Grant's typical "U.S. Grant" signature while commanding general of the United States Army and the earliest days of his presidential campaign.

The verso features an historic signature of Massachusetts senator and abolitionist Charles Sumner (1811-1874). In addition to his signature he includes the short couplet: "Equality of rights is the first of rights." He also notes that the signature was recorded in the Senate Chambers on the "day of voting." The quote and the voting both refer to the attempted impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. Sumner, along with Thaddeus Stevens, led congressional efforts to extend civil and voting rights to the newly emancipated former slaves. President Johnson was in frequent opposition to these efforts, and Sumner and Stevens led the charge in impeachment efforts, in part due to his opposition of the Freedmen's Bureau and other civil rights issues. May 16th was when the U.S. Senate voted with a 35-19 vote in favor of conviction, falling one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed for success.

An excellent document holding the signature of a titan of post-war politics on a day of great significance. Enhanced even further with the inclusion of Grant's signature.

[Politics, Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, Freedmen, Slavery, Abolition, Enslavement, Emancipation, Manuscripts, Documents, Signatures, Generals, Presidents, Ephemera, African Americana, African American History]