Free At Last

In case you were wondering why tax day isn’t until tomorrow, allow me to introduce you to D.C. Emancipation Day. This recently minted holiday marks the day in 1862 when Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act which, according to my good friend Wikipedia (and the DC city website), freed approximately 3,100 men and women from slavery – nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.