On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (what some of us here at the Archives call the “EP”)—in the middle of the U.S. Civil War. In it, he declared all slaves within the states that were currently in rebellion to be free. Although it did not abolish slavery altogether, the document … Continue reading The “EP” at the National Archives
Today’s blog post comes from National Archives social media intern Anna Fitzpatrick. The news of the Emancipation Proclamation was greeted with joy, even though it did not free all the slaves. Because of the limitations of the proclamation, and because it depended on a Union military victory, President Lincoln recognized that the Emancipation Proclamation would … Continue reading Emancipation Proclamation: The 13th Amendment
Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications While Union and Confederate forces clashed on southern battlefields in 1862, a historic piece of legislation ended "the national shame" of slavery in the nation's capital. The District of Columbia Emancipation Act was signed into law by President … Continue reading A Capital Celebration: The National Archives Commemorates DC Emancipation
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Juneteenth is actually June 19, the day on which word finally made it to Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War was over and that Abraham Lincoln had freed the slaves. As the story goes, these 250,000 slaves were the last … Continue reading Happy belated Juneteenth, everybody!
