District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act
Encyclopedia
The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, or simply Compensated Emancipation Act, was a law that ended slavery in Washington, D.C.
by paying slave owners for releasing their slaves
. Although not written by him, the act was signed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
on April 16, 1862. April 16 is now celebrated in the city as Emancipation Day.
In December 1861, a bill was introduced in Congress
for the abolition of slavery in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by Senator Henry Wilson
of Massachusetts
, the bill passed the Senate on April 3 and the House of Representatives on April 12. Lincoln signed the bill on April 16, 1862 amid ongoing Congressional debate over an emancipation plan for the border states. Following the bill's passage, Lincoln proposed several changes to the act, which were approved by the legislature.
The passage of the Compensated Emancipation Act came nearly nine months before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation
. The act, which set aside $1 million, immediately emancipated slaves in Washington, D.C., giving Union slaveholders up to $300 per freed slave. An additional $100,000 allocated by the law was used to pay each newly freed slave $100 if he or she chose to leave the United States and colonize in places such as Haiti
or Liberia
.
In Washington, D.C., April 16 has been celebrated as Emancipation Day since 1866. An annual parade was held to commemorate the signing of the act until 1901, when a lack of financial and organizational support forced the tradition to stop; it restarted in 2002. In 2000, the Council of the District of Columbia
made April 16 a private holiday—or one on which city employees are not given a free day off—and on July 9, 2004, council member Vincent Orange
proposed to make the day a public holiday. 2005 marked the first year that Emancipation Day has been celebrated as an official city holiday in Washington, D.C.
As a result of the act's passage, 3,185 slaves were freed. However, the older fugitive slave laws
, were still applied to slaves who had run from Maryland
to Washington, D.C. The slaves were still subject to the laws, which supposedly applied only to states, until their 1864 repeal.
Although the compensated emancipation model was not later adapted by the U.S. government, the act signified the forthcoming demise of slavery in the United States. The act was the only compensated emancipation plan enacted in the United States.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
by paying slave owners for releasing their slaves
Compensated Emancipation
Compensated emancipation was a method of ending slavery in countries where slavery was legal. This involved the person who was recognized as the owner of a slave being compensated monetarily or by a period of labor for releasing the slave...
. Although not written by him, the act was signed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
on April 16, 1862. April 16 is now celebrated in the city as Emancipation Day.
History
In 1849, when he was still a congressman, Lincoln introduced a plan to eliminate slavery in Washington, D.C. through compensated emancipation; the bill failed.In December 1861, a bill was introduced in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for the abolition of slavery in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by Senator Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts...
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the bill passed the Senate on April 3 and the House of Representatives on April 12. Lincoln signed the bill on April 16, 1862 amid ongoing Congressional debate over an emancipation plan for the border states. Following the bill's passage, Lincoln proposed several changes to the act, which were approved by the legislature.
The passage of the Compensated Emancipation Act came nearly nine months before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
. The act, which set aside $1 million, immediately emancipated slaves in Washington, D.C., giving Union slaveholders up to $300 per freed slave. An additional $100,000 allocated by the law was used to pay each newly freed slave $100 if he or she chose to leave the United States and colonize in places such as Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
or Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
.
In Washington, D.C., April 16 has been celebrated as Emancipation Day since 1866. An annual parade was held to commemorate the signing of the act until 1901, when a lack of financial and organizational support forced the tradition to stop; it restarted in 2002. In 2000, the Council of the District of Columbia
Council of the District of Columbia
The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the District is not part of any U.S. state and is instead overseen directly by the federal government...
made April 16 a private holiday—or one on which city employees are not given a free day off—and on July 9, 2004, council member Vincent Orange
Vincent Orange
Vincent Bernard Orange, Sr. is a politician from Washington, D.C. He was most recently a Democratic member of the Council of the District of Columbia, where he served as an elected member for Ward 5. In 2010 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Chairman of the Council...
proposed to make the day a public holiday. 2005 marked the first year that Emancipation Day has been celebrated as an official city holiday in Washington, D.C.
Outcome
The emancipation plan relied on a three-person Emancipation Commission to distribute the allotted funding. In order to receive compensation, former slaveholders were required to provide written evidence of their ownership, as well as state their loyalty to the Union. Most of the petitioners were white, but some blacks also filed for compensation, having once bought their family members away from other owners. In the end, almost all of the $1 million appropriated in the act had been spent.As a result of the act's passage, 3,185 slaves were freed. However, the older fugitive slave laws
Fugitive slave laws
The fugitive slave laws were laws passed by the United States Congress in 1793 and 1850 to provide for the return of slaves who escaped from one state into another state or territory.-Pre-colonial and Colonial eras:...
, were still applied to slaves who had run from Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
to Washington, D.C. The slaves were still subject to the laws, which supposedly applied only to states, until their 1864 repeal.
Although the compensated emancipation model was not later adapted by the U.S. government, the act signified the forthcoming demise of slavery in the United States. The act was the only compensated emancipation plan enacted in the United States.