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National Freedom Day is a U.S. holiday celebrating the end of slavery and commemorating freedom.
It is observed on February 1st, the day in 1865 that President Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished
slavery. The amendment was ratified December 18, 1865. While the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln
freed slaves in much of the United States, it did not address slavery in the non-seceding states. There were also legal questions about the
president's power to issue such an order. |
The 13th Amendment reads:
1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
National Freedom Day was established via presidential proclamation by Harry S. Truman.
Major Richard Robert Wright, Sr., a
former slave who was active in education, finance, politics, and journalism, founded the National Freedom Day Association and is viewed as the
father of this holiday.
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What is the history of the American antislavery movement?
The Crusade against Slavery, 1830-1860 By Louis Filler
The Neglected Period of Anti-Slavery in America, 1808-1831 By Alice Dana Adams
Men and Brothers: Anglo-American Antislavery Cooperation By Betty Fladeland
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Who were the abolitionists?
Witness for Freedom: African American Voices on Race, Slavery, and Emancipation Edited by C. Peter Ripley, Roy E. Finkenbine, Michael F. Hembree, & Donald Yacovone
The Antislavery Rank and File: A Social Profile of the Abolitionists' Constituency By Edward Magdol
The Abolitionists: A Collection of Their Writing Edited by Louis Ruchames
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What were some milestones on the way to abolition?
Mutiny on the Amistad: The Saga of a Slave Revolt and Its Impact on American Abolition, Law, and Diplomacy By Howard Jones
Slavery, Law, and Politics: The Dred Scott Case in Historical Perspective By Don E. Fehrenbacher
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How did African slavery end in other countries?
Black Ivory: A History of British Slavery By James Walvin
African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean By Herbert S. Klein
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