Emancipation in the Capital

On this day 159 years ago, more than three thousand Black individuals were freed in the United States capital. Washington, D.C. passed the DC Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862, freeing thousands of enslaved people in the capital and paving the way for nationwide emancipation.

Sonali PrillmanApril 16, 2021Emancipation Day, District of Columbia, DC History, Black history, Abolition, District of Columbia Emancipation Act, Emancipation ProclamationComment