DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA EMANCIPATION DAY
On January 4, 2005 , Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed into law Bill 15-827, the District of Columbia Emancipation Day Amendment Act of 2004. The bill established April 16 as a recognized legal public holiday in the District.
On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, which ended slavery in the District of Columbia and freed more than 3100 slaves. The act was passed nine months before President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 . It was the first time that the government of the United States acted formally to abolish slavery and telegraphed the eventual end of slavery to the rest of the country.
Schedule of Activities for Emancipation Week Commemorative Celebration
