“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”
– Abraham Lincoln
abraham lincoln
Jan. 1, 1863: President Lincoln Signs the Emancipation Proclamation
On this day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It declared, “all persons held as slaves within any States, or designated part of the State, the people whereof shall be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”
The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves in the United States. Rather, it declared free only those slaves living in states not under Union control. It also allowed black soldiers to fight for the Union — soldiers that were desperately needed. Lastly, it tied the issue of slavery directly to the Civil War.
Watch this American Experience video to learn more about the Emancipation Proclamation.
Image: Photograph of a reproduction of the Emancipation Proclamation, 1864.
On This Day
November 19, 1863 – at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most memorable speeches in American history. Although only 272 words, the “little speech,” as he later called it, is thought by many today to be the most eloquent articulation of the democratic vision ever written.
Humor: Abraham Lincoln Style
“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.”
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
“No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.”
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
On This Day
September 9, 1836 – Abraham Lincoln received his license to practice law.
On This Day
May 30, 1922 – The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC.
Elysian Waters 