The 5pm Post – DC Emancipation Day Event April 15 at Lincoln’s Cottage

Photo via Lincoln’s Cottage

From a press release:

President Lincoln’s Cottage will host a 150th Anniversary Celebration of DC Emancipation Day on Sunday, April 15, 2012 from 2:30pm – 4:30pm. This free outdoor public program will feature noted Lincoln scholars and a musical program. This event is presented in partnership with the Office of the Secretary of the District of Columbia and the Lincoln Group of DC.

150 years ago, the enslaved people in Washington, DC were freed when President Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia. Featured Lincoln experts will include Harold Holzer, Dr. Edna Greene Medford, and the Honorable Frank Williams. The speakers will discuss Lincoln’s role in the DC Emancipation Act, the media reaction to the act, and the role of the citizens of DC. The program will take place on the south lawn of President Lincoln’s Cottage. The rain location will be in an adjacent building on the property.

President Lincoln lived in the Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home from June-November of 1862, 1863 and1864-totaling one quarter of his presidency. He was living here when he drafted the preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation and deliberated critical issues of the Civil War. Since the Cottage opened to the public in 2008, tens of thousands of visitors have engaged in conversations on liberty, justice, and equality, through innovative guided tours, forward-thinking exhibits and quality educational programs. Hours of operation: Tours on the hour, 7 days a week. Visitor Center open 9:30am-4:30pm Mon-Sat, 10:30am-4:30pm Sunday. For more information on President Lincoln’s Cottage, visit: www.lincolncottage.org