The 140th Anniversary Celebration of the
Emancipation Proclamation was a national campaign to honor, celebrate, and commemorate January 1, 2003, as the 140th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, by United States
President
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Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
.
History
This historical commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation came, shortly after September 11, 2001, as a venue for national celebration. The 140th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation celebrates the progression of the United States, and was reminiscent of a similar period in American history, following the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. As momentum for the anniversary celebration grew, Americans joined in to participate across the United States.
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television and, film. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, and has receive ...
, best known from the ''
Law and Order
In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...
'' television program, organized volunteers to clean, paint, and restore
Lincoln's Cottage at the
Soldier's Home in Washington, D.C., for this milestone anniversary.
The first reading of the proclamation in
The South occurred at the
Emancipation Oak
Emancipation Oak is a historic tree on the campus of Hampton University in what is now the City of Hampton, Virginia in the United States. The large sprawling southern live oak (''Quercus virginiana''), which is believed to be over 200 years ol ...
located on the campus of
Hampton University in what is now the city of
Hampton, Virginia. This is the same site where
Mary Smith Peake had earlier taught children of former slaves under the same tree. The Emancipation Oak, a
National Historical Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
, was itself a catalyst for the 140th anniversary celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation. Subsequently, in 2004, the oak was named America's national tree.
The nearby city of
Newport News, Virginia held a ''First Reading'' anniversary celebration consisting of a presentational reading of the Emancipation Proclamation with living historians portraying slaves to emphasize the meaning of President Lincoln's historic act of universal
manumission
Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that t ...
. The event was held in the Newport News City Council chambers, and included a resolution issued by the city's mayor,
Joe Frank
Joe Frank (August 19, 1938 – January 15, 2018) was a French-born American writer, teacher, and radio performer best known for his often philosophical, humorous, surrealist, and sometimes absurd monologues and radio dramas he recorded often i ...
, as to the significance of the celebratory year.
The
''Network to Freedom''
/span> website, honoring the Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
, was launched by the United States National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...
to coincide with the 140th anniversary.
Legislative resolution
Early bipartisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...
congressional supporters of the 140th Anniversary Celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation were Danny K. Davis
Daniel K. Davis (born September 6, 1941) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from , elected in 1996. The district serves much of western Chicago, including the Loop. It also includes several of Chicago's inner western subu ...
( Dem. IL) who sponsored the legislation in the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
as House Concurrent Resolution 36.United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
by Senator George Allen George Allen may refer to:
Politics and law
* George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team
* George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...
( Rep. VA), as Senate Concurrent Resolution 15.[A concurrent resolution commemorating the 140th anniversary of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.]
''S.CON.RES.15''. 108th Congress (2003–2004). ''(Retrieved October 9, 2010.)''
Text
The text of the final resolution reads as follows:
The bill passed in both houses of the United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
by unanimous vote.[
]
References
{{reflist
External links
H Con Res 36H Con Res 15 Library of CongressCSPAN Video Library Celebrating the 140th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and Commending Abraham Lincoln's Efforts to End Slavery February 26, 2003
2003 in the United States
Slavery in the United States
United States congressional resolutions passed both by House and Senate