The National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, also known as the National Half Century Anniversary Exposition and The Lincoln Jubilee : 50th Anniversary Celebration, was held in Chicago from August 22 to September 16, 1915, and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. It was held at the

Coliseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...

on Wabash Avenue and Fifteenth Street. The

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...

was issued by United States president

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 ...

on January 1, 1863. A gathering was held in Chicago in 1911 and an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of emancipation was proposed. It was originally planned for 1913 as the Illinois (National) Half-Century Anniversary of Negro Freedom. ColiseumChicagoGeoRLawrenceExterior

Atlas Printing Co. published the official program. The Fraternal Press in Chicago published a history and report on the event including the history of its establishment and photos of organizers that is available online.http://moses.law.umn.edu/darrow/documents/Commemoration_the_fiftieth_anniversary_of_the_emancipation_of_the_Negro.pdf The event's photographer, John H. Ballard, published a photo album covering the event in 1915. It includes a leaf of music at its back titled "

Praise God we are not weary Praise as a form of social interaction expresses recognition, reassurance or admiration. Praise is expressed verbally as well as by body language (facial expression and gestures). Verbal praise consists of a positive evaluations of another's a ...

" with words by Tom Brown, music by

Tom Lemonier Tom Lemonier (March 29, 1870 — March 14, 1945) was an actor and composer of popular music during the ragtime era, particularly active in Black Vaudeville. His work featured in various musicals. Some of his work was published by the Gotham-Attuck ...

, and arranged by J. Wm. Coleman. The album is viewable online. The

Association for the Study of Negro Life and History The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is an organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History. It is a non-profit organization founded in Chicago, Illinois, on September 9, 1915 ...

was established by a group of prominent attendees who met during the event. Four months later member

Carter G. Woodson Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875April 3, 1950) was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the h ...

published the first issue of the ''

Journal of Negro History ''The Journal of African American History'', formerly ''The Journal of Negro History'' (1916–2001), is a quarterly academic journal covering African-American life and history. It was founded in 1916 by Carter G. Woodson. The journal is owned and ...

''. Chicago businessman

Anthony Overton Anthony Overton Jr. (March 21, 1865 – July 2, 1946), was an American banker and manufacturer. He was the first African American to lead a major business conglomerate.Harvard Business School. American Business Leaders of the Twentieth CenturyAnth ...

participated and promoted his skin care products at the event. He launched his '' Half-Century Magazine'' the following year. The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

has a collection of ''

Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...

'' photographs that includes images of the event.

Gallery

File:John H. Washington.jpg File:Lincoln jubilee album - 50th anniversary of our emancipation, held in Chicago August 22d to September 16th, 1915 (1915) (14759196976).jpg File:Lincoln jubilee album - 50th anniversary of our emancipation, held in Chicago August 22d to September 16th, 1915 (1915) (14779833144).jpg File:Lincoln jubilee album - 50th anniversary of our emancipation, held in Chicago August 22d to September 16th, 1915 (1915) (14782213235).jpg

References

{{Improve categories, date=September 2021 Slavery in the United States