Michigan Supreme Court justices tour founding, civil rights exhibits at The Henry Ford

Opened in June, the Jackson Home exhibit is an intimate, relevant relic of the Civil Rights Movement, allowing patrons to walk through the dwelling of Dr. Sullivan Jackson and his wife Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson. It was a critical hub for the movement’s leaders, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to plan the Selma to Montgomery demonstrations. The home was relocated to Greenfield Village and opened as a permanent installation last month.

The national Freedom Plane exhibit, taking a cue from the Bicentennial Freedom Train that operated from 1975 to 1976, puts the original engraving plate of the Declaration of Independence on display inside the Henry Ford Museum. On tour and available for Henry Ford patrons through July 26, the exhibit also features the Articles of Association, the Treaty of Paris — signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay — and a secret printing of the U.S. Constitution in its draft form, complete with handwritten edits and notes.

At their cores, the foundation of the nation and the 20th century sojourn for equal rights speak to the same concepts of liberty and prosperity. Judicial officers carry the crucial burden of those legacies as they interpret the U.S. Constitution and the constitutions of the 50 states, all to ensure justice for all.

Cavanagh told Michigan Advance that she was humbled by the experience of walking through a life-sized time capsule and interacting with early drafts of the nation’s founding documents. They also served to remind the chief justice and her high court colleagues of their responsibility to Michigan.

“To see particularly how much they were working documents, that this was work that was being done by real humans, men trying to find the right words to express their ideas, it’s a very similar process to what we do,” Cavanagh said. “We know that our jobs are incredibly important, and that the work we’re doing is incredibly important for everyone. To see them doing similar work is really fascinating.”