As New Year’s Day approached 150 years ago, all eyes were on President Abraham Lincoln in expectation of what he warned 100 days earlier would be coming — his final proclamation declaring all slaves in states rebelling against the Union to be “forever free.”A tradition began Dec. 31, 1862, as many black churches held Watch Night services, awaiting word that his Emancipation Proclamation would take effect during a bloody Civil War. Later, congregations listened as the president’s historic words were read aloud.
The proclamation did not end slavery outright and at the time couldn’t be enforced by Lincoln in areas under Confederate control. But the president made clear from that day forward that his forces would be fighting to bring the Union back together without the institution of slavery.
Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, after the Battle of Antietam, announcing that if rebel states did not cease fighting and rejoin the Union by Jan. 1, 1863, all slaves in rebellious states or parts of states would be declared free from that date forward.
This year, the Watch Night tradition will follow the historic document to its home at the National Archives with a special midnight display planned with readings, songs and bell ringing among the nation’s founding documents.
The official document bears Lincoln’s signature and the United States seal, setting it apart from copies and drafts.
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article courtesy of BCNN1.com
