75
No.2
Emancipation Day
by Paul LaRue
Most Americans know little about Emancipation Day, except that it sometimes gives certain U.S. residents an extra day to mail
their Federal Income taxes (Emancipation Day is celebrated April 16 in the District of Columbia). Emancipation Day represents an
extremely important event African Americans have been celebrating since before the Civil War. The history of Emancipation Day
embodies the spread of freedom to enslaved Africans around the world.
Ohio’s Emancipation Day history is typical of other upper-Midwestern states, although each state’s history is unique and worth investigating. Before the Civil War, Ohioans celebrated the anniversary of emancipation in the West Indies on August 1st. The Liberator, an
abolitionist newspaper of the era, stated, “The day has been generally celebrated in Ohio…At Urbana, there was the largest first of August gathering ever held in the state. There were full 5000 people…”1 This date became a time to commemorate emancipation and look
ahead to a day when slavery would end in the United States. Past events usually involved music and speeches. Some speakers were men
like John M. Langston and Frederick Douglass who were former slaves who later became prominent and vocal abolitionists.
After the Civil War began, the date shifted from August 1 to September 22. President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation
Proclamation on September 22, 1862 and the African American community in Galia County celebrated the first anniversary a year later.
Today, that same community continues this tradition, claiming one of the longest continual emancipation celebrations in the nation.
Rendville, Ohio, an African American mining town, hosted elaborate celebrations in the 1880s and 1890s. As Richard Davis observed,
“Last Tuesday, September 22, we celebrated the Emancipation Proclamation. There was no work at either mine…”2 Some communities
would host events; often people traveled to neighboring towns. The Fayette Republican had an interesting item: “Emancipation Day, on
Thursday September 22, the Ohio Southern [Railroad] will enable those who desire to visit friends and relatives at different points along
the line, by putting on sale tickets at one fare…”3 Celebrations were held in churches as well as homes. An eighteen-year-old Paul Laurance Dunbar penned the poem “Emancipation” on September 22, 1890 in Dayton, Ohio. Two large emancipation day events occurred
in Ohio in 1887 and 1888(1887 marked the 25th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.) Vinton, in rural Galia County, hosted
a large Emancipation Day event with the crowd estimated at six to ten thousand attendees. Governor Joseph Foraker gave a speech that
lasted two hours. In 1888, Ohio celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787with an event known as the Ohio
Centennial Celebration. A large Emancipation Day event was organized in Columbus as a part of the Celebration. The crowd was estimated at between four to five thousand attendees. The keynote address was given by Bishop B.W. Arnett. In his address, Bishop Arnett
commented on the recent emancipation in Brazil and the state of race relations in the U.S. while The Excelsior Reed Band of Cleveland
provided music. In one of the highlight events, the famed elocutionist Hallie Q. Brown’s performed a dramatic reading of “The Black
Regiment”, a tribute to African American Civil War soldiers.
January 1st was also celebrated as Emancipation Day in parts of the north and south as it was the day the Emancipation Proclamation
went into effect. This date, as well as September 22, was widely celebrated from the 1880’s into the early 1900’s. While attempting to
organize black miners in Alabama in 1898, Richard Davis stated, “While everyone is out celebrating the ushering in New Year in various
ways … our people are celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation.”4 Though widely celebrated for many years, the date problematically fell on another existing holiday: New Years Day.
With the growth of this celebration, some confusion seemed to follow. A writer in the Christian Recorder noted, “If we celebrate, why
not have one day set apart that all may join in it: not one part celebrating the fourteenth of April …then a large number on the fourth of
August?”5 The District of Columbia has traditionally celebrated Emancipation Day between the 12th to the 16th of April.
The District of Columbia will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of Emancipation on April 16, 2012. On September 22, 1893, as part of
the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, James Ashley was presented a souvenir book of his speeches on emancipation by a group
of African American leaders. Ashley, while serving in congress from Ohio, wrote and pushed for the emancipation of the District of Columbia. Later Ashley served as President Lincoln’s floor manager to get the needed votes for the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment.
Frederick Douglass wrote the introduction in the book of Ashley’s speeches. This date was not a coincidence; the connections between
various emancipation dates are intriguing, but can be confusing. Today, Juneteenth (June 19th) has largely become the most celebrated
and recognized of the Emancipation Days. Tradition has it that Union General Gordon Granger reached the last enslaved Galvestonians
with word of freedom on this day in 1865. Currently, there is a movement to make Junteenth a national holiday.
In the spring of 1897, as miners were debating which dates should be considered official holidays, Richard Davis wrote, “…you forget
the day I love most, and that is Emancipation Day. By all means, let us celebrate the day when the shackles were cut loose and 4,000,000
black men were liberated from the galling yoke chattel slavery.”6 Emancipation Day dates have changed over the past 150 years, but not
the intention to recognize and memorialize freedom from enslavement.
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Notes
Lesson Plan: Emancipation Day
1. Liberator, August 15, 1856
2. Richard Davis, United Mine Workers Journal, October
1, 1891
3. Fayette Republican, September 18, 1892
4. Richard Davis, United Mine Workers Journal, January
6, 1898
5. Christian Recorder, August 20, 1870
6. Richard Davis, United Mine Workers Journal, March 11,
1897
Photos
Note: The “Rendville, Ohio” photo is owned by the author, Paul
LaRue. The photo is presented with the author’s permission.
by Paul LaRue
Connection to Middle and/or High School
Middle and high school students will learn about the Emancipation Proclamation. Lessons based upon emancipation can provide a backdrop for a unique look at often omitted celebrations
of diversity and liberation. These celebrations, which observe the
emancipation of slaves of African descent and others who have
experienced other forms of involuntary servitude, are largely
overlooked within mainstream communities and within today’s
History textbooks.
Objectives: Students will become acquainted with the rich tradition of emancipation celebrations. Students will learn about the
connections between the liberation of enslaved people and how
the newfound freedom has been celebrated throughout the world.
Goal of the Lesson Plan: Students will research the emancipation celebrations from their community and state. Note: Students
may also research national and international celebrations.
National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) standards:
History
•
Standard 2, 2D: evaluate how enslaved (and free) African Americans used religion and family to create a viable culture and ameliorate the effects of slavery.
•
Assess how the political and economic position of African Americans in the northern and western states
changed during reconstruction.
Cultural Diversity
Paul LaRue is a high school social studies teacher in his twentyeighth year at Washington C.H. , Ohio . He has a bachelor’s
degree in education from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in education from Xavier University. Paul has won
numerous state and national teaching awards, including Teacher
of the Year from the African American Civil War Memorial and
Museum in Washington D.C. Email : [email protected]
•
Assist learners in understanding the unique cultural aspects of the Emancipation celebration.
•
Enable learners to integrate emancipation and the African Diaspora.
Warm-up Activity: After presenting information about the
Emancipation Proclamation to students, ask students to respond
to the question “What does emancipation mean to me?” in a journal entry
Activities:
Note:
•
Activities 1 and 2 are appropriate for third and fourth
graders.
•
Activities 1, 2 and 3 are specifically for sixth, seventh
and eighth graders.
•
Activities 4 and 5 are appropriate for eighth graders and
high school students.
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Activity #1: Ask the students to match dates with events/celebrations (dates can be changed to reflect those appropriate for your
region):
Directions: Match the dates with the events/celebrations.
Use the box on the left to write your choice.
Activity #2a: Develop a timeline. Ask students to provide the years to match the dates:
April 16th ______________
June 19th ______________
September 22nd ______________
January 1st ______________
August 1st ______________
Activity #2b: When students have correctly developed their timeline, have the students add a short explanation of the significance of
each date.
Activity #3: Have the class research the lives of these prominent Emancipation day speakers or writers.
George Washington Williams
Richard L. Davis
Frederick Douglass
John Mercer Langston
James M. Ashley
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Activity #4: Have students research their communities’ recognition of emancipation.
a.
Look at newspaper databases (many are now digital)
b.
Contact your local or state historical societies
c.
Talk to older community members (What do they remember? Collect oral histories)
Activity #5: Students as activists: Once the class has researched their own communities’ emancipation traditions and celebrations,
have the students ask questions of members of the:
a.
Local School Board
b.
City Council
c.
State Legislatures
d.
U.S. members of Congress
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Activity #6: To recognize the unique emancipation celebration tradition in your community, write a resolution using the information
the students have found during their research (see example below).
Paul LaRue, the author, had his Research History class study the local and statewide history of the celebration of Emancipation Day in Ohio. The class worked with State Representative Sylvester Patton and the Ohio Legislature to officially designate September
22nd as Emancipation Day in Ohio. Students worked with Rep. Patton and his staff to
develop legislation and later presented testimony and answered questions before the Ohio
Legislature’s State Government Committee. In May 2006, House Bill 393 passed both
houses and in June 2006 the students were present as Ohio Governor Bob Taft signed the
Legislation into Law. Students designed the website www.EmancipationDay.net based on
their research (For more information, see Websites below under “Teacher Resources”).
Ohio Governor Bob Taft, pictured with Representative Sylvester Patton and members of the Washington High School Research History Class, signs
House Bill 393 into Law in June 2006.
Assessment:
1) At the conclusion of the lesson ask students to again insert a comment in their journal utilizing the following prompt: “What does
emancipation mean to me?” Students should include information gained from the lesson
2) Read Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Poem Emancipation. Dunbar’s mother and father were both slaves in Kentucky. His father escaped
slavery and served in the Union Army. Write or discuss what emancipation would have meant to Paul Laurence Dunbar as an 18 year
old high school student.
Teacher Resources:
Websites:
1. Washington High School , Emancipation Day : http://www.wchcs.org/Senior_High/Emancipation_Day/EmancipationDay.htm
2. Save Our History: Emancipation Day Project: http://a614.g.akamai.net/7/614/2201/v001/aetn.download.akamai.com/2201/
thc/soh/pdf/how_to_project_guides/SOH_howtos_LaRue.pdf
Books:
1. Race and Reunion by: David Blight (2001)
2. O Freedom! Afro-American Emancipation Celebrations by: William H. Wiggins, Jr. (1987)
3. Festivals of Freedom by: Mitch Kachun
Articles:
1. Negro History Bulletin Volume 36, no. 2 (1973), pp. 41-42 (Paul Laurence Dunbar)
2. Black History Bulletin Volume 72, no. 2 (2009), pp. 13-17 (Richard L. Davis)
Note: This lesson easily could be expanded to include music and art.
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