This month America celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Arguably one of the most important documents in all of American history, the Emancipation Proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the Confederate states "are, and henceforward shall be free."Although the Proclamation fell short of freeing all slaves within the country, it laid the groundwork for the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which finally abolished slavery in 1865.
The original document is housed in the National Archives in Washington, DC. Because of the fragile nature of the document, which was written on poor quality paper, the Emancipation Proclamation can only be displayed to the public a few days out of the year.
Check out this video to learn more about how the National Archives works to preserve this important historical document for future generations.
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