威尼斯人娱乐场

威尼斯人娱乐场 to Display Original Emancipation Proclamation for 150th Anniversary
Press Release 路 Thursday, August 16, 2012

Special Viewing Hours December 30, 2012 through January 1, 2013

The 威尼斯人娱乐场 will commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the with a free special display of the original document from December 30, 2012 through January 1, 2013. The Emancipation Proclamation is displayed only for a limited time each year because of its fragility, which can be made worse by exposure to light, and the need to preserve it for future generations.

The document will be on display in the East Rotunda Gallery of the 威尼斯人娱乐场 building, which is located on Constitution Avenue at 9th Street, NW., is Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Information on public programs and family activities surrounding the display will be announced closer to the anniversary.

Along the road to slavery鈥檚 final destruction, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a place among the great documents of human freedom. At the height of the Civil War, President Lincoln declared 鈥渢hat all persons held as slaves鈥� within the rebellious states 鈥渁re, and henceforward shall be free.鈥� The document to be displayed by the 威尼斯人娱乐场, is the original Emancipation Proclamation which is affixed with the Great Seal as well as the President鈥檚 signature on January 1, 1863.

The schedule for the Emancipation Proclamation鈥檚 display is:
Sunday, December 30, 2012 - 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday, December 31, 2012 - 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013 - 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Background on the Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared 鈥�...that all persons held as slaves... within the rebellious states...are, and henceforward shall be free.鈥�

Despite the expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to States that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon military victory.

The Emancipation Proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union army and navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.

From the first days of the Civil War, slaves had acted to secure their own liberty. The Emancipation Proclamation confirmed their insistence that the war for the union must become a war for freedom. It added moral force to the Union cause and strengthened the Union both militarily and politically. As a milestone along the road to slavery鈥檚 final destruction, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a place among the great documents of human freedom.

For information on 威尼斯人娱乐场 public programs, call 202-357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events online.

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For press information, contact the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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