FIRST FREED BUS TOUR
FIRST FREED BUS TOUR


APRIL 16, 2009

April 16, 1862 marks the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia with
the Compensated Emancipation Act July 12, 1862, the Supplemental
Compensated Emancipation Act was signed into law over 3,000 enslaved
persons in the District of Columbia were freed nine months before Lincoln
issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation.  The District of Columbia is
the only jurisdiction in the United States to have compensated slave owners
for freeing enslaved persons.  A commission was appointed to appraise the
value of each slave.  An average of $300 was paid to slave-holders, as
compensation for freeing enslaved persons.  Claims for compensation were
required to be presented in 90 days from the passage of the Compensated
Emancipation Act nearly $1 million in federal payments were made for the
freedom of enslaved persons.  The African American community celebrated
Emancipation Day on April 19, 1866 as represented on a wood engraving
sketch by F. Dielman on April 16, 1883, Frederick Douglass spoke at the
Emancipation Day celebration. The Black American community has a long
history of Emancipation Day celebrations with parades and festivals from
1862 to the early 1900s, the Emancipation Day celebration was more
important to the Black American community than Fourth of July, Christmas,
and New Year’s festivities.

Join the staff of Crossroads Tours as travel and visit sites in Washington, DC
that tell and preserve our heritage and the struggle for freedom and equality.

Itinerary


Call to reserve this tour.

        $60.00


DC Emancipation Celebration
DC Emancipation Proclamation
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