Commemorating Emancipation Day

From the Historical Society of Washington:

On Sunday, April 15, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. the District’s Emancipation Day will be commemorated at the Historical Society of Washington, 801 “K” Street, N.W. The celebration features District poet laureate Dolores Kendrick, Councilmember Marion Barry, and the music of Howard University’s Afro Blue.

On April 16, 1862, President Lincoln signed into law “An Act for the Release of Certain Persons held to Service or Labor in the District of Columbia.” The Act decreed “that all persons held to service or labor within the District of Columbia by reason of African descent are hereby discharged and freed of and from all claim to such service or labor; and from and after the passage of this act neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall hereafter exist in said District.”

Under this law, which uses neither the word “slave” nor “emancipation”, the enslaved residents of Washington, and the city itself, became the “First Freed” from the burden of slavery by the U.S. government. The Act also provides the sole instance of compensated emancipation in U.S. history.

Under the Act, Benjamin T. Thorn was paid $569.40 in compensation for the release of John H. Hawkins. For release of a “male infant”, Margaret Loughborough received $21.90. “Henry Hatton, colored” received $1,839.60 in compensation for the emancipation of Martha, Henry, and George Hatton. George Washington Young received $17,771.85 upon the release of 69 of his slaves. Sarah Davis received nothing at all for the release of Hannah West, who was deemed to be of “no value.”

The gathering at the Historical Society (801 “K” Street, N.W.) on Sunday, April 15, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. will be a traditional celebration of Emancipation Day. As Washington, D.C. continues the struggle for voting representation and full political autonomy, we will pause to remember and reflect upon the struggles, and victories, of those who came before.

All are welcome. Please RSVP to RSVP@historydc.org or to 202.383.1837.