140th Year Anniversary Celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation
Encyclopedia
The 140th Year 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 Abraham Lincoln
.
, and was reminiscent of a similar period in American history, following the Civil War
. As momentum for the anniversary celebration grew, Americans joined in to participate across the United States.
Sam Waterston
, best known from the Law and Order
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
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, 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
. The event was held in the Newport News City Council chambers, and included a resolution issued by the city's mayor, Joe Frank
, as to the significance of the celebratory year.
The Network to Freedom website, honoring the Underground Railroad
, was launched by the United States National Park Service
to coincide with the 140th anniversary.
supporters of the 140th Year Anniversary Celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation were Danny K. Davis
(Dem.
IL
) who sponsored the legislation in the United States House of Representatives
as House Concurrent Resolution 36. The legislation was sponsored in the United States Senate
by Senator George Allen
(Rep.
VA
), as Senate Concurrent Resolution 15.
The bill passed in both houses of the United States Congress
by unanimous vote.
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
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 Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
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 StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was reminiscent of a similar period in American history, following the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. As momentum for the anniversary celebration grew, Americans joined in to participate across the United States.
Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
, best known from the Law and Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
television program, organized volunteers to clean, paint, and restore Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldier's Home
Armed Forces Retirement Home
The Armed Forces Retirement Home , formerly the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home, the U.S. Soldiers' Home, and the U.S. Military Asylum, is an independent establishment in the executive branch of the federal government of the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, for this milestone anniversary.
The first reading of the proclamation in The South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
occurred at the Emancipation Oak
Emancipation Oak
Emancipation Oak is a historic tree located on the campus of Hampton University in what is now the City of Hampton, Virginia. The large sprawling oak is 98 feet in diameter, with branches which extend upward as well as laterally...
located on the campus of Hampton University
Hampton University
Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
in what is now the city of Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
. 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, 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
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
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
Manumission is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves. In the United States before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished most slavery, this often happened upon the death of the owner, under conditions in his will.-Motivations:The...
. 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
Joe Frank is an American radio personality, known best for his often philosophical, humorous, surrealist, and sometimes absurd monologues and radio dramas.-Early life:...
, as to the significance of the celebratory year.
The Network to Freedom website, honoring the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, was launched by the United States National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
to coincide with the 140th anniversary.
Legislative resolution
Early bipartisan congressionalUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
supporters of the 140th Year Anniversary Celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation were Danny K. Davis
Danny K. Davis
For other persons named Danny Davis, please see Daniel Davis .Daniel K. Davis is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...
(Dem.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
IL
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) who sponsored the legislation in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as House Concurrent Resolution 36. The legislation was sponsored in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
by Senator George Allen
George Allen (U.S. politician)
George Felix Allen is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as the 67th Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress, winning election to the Senate in 2000...
(Rep.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
VA
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
), as Senate Concurrent Resolution 15.
Text
The text of the final resolution reads as follows:The bill passed in both houses of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
by unanimous vote.