President Lincoln developed the Emancipation Proclamation while living at the Cottage in the summer of 1862. For many years that fact was recognized and appreciated. A December 1936 article from The Washington Post described a woman’s pilgrimage to the Cottage to "pay tribute" to
Lincoln on the Proclamation's 74th anniversary. The woman, a Mrs. Thomas Chase, was 92 years old and had been born into slavery in Virginia. In the spring of 1862, after DC Emancipation was enacted, she escaped to the District to secure her freedom. She recalled seeing Lincoln riding out to the Cottage at the Soldiers' Home regularly. And she described the reaction she, and those around her, had — laughter and tears — when Lincoln issued his proclamation of freedom on January 1,
1863. Despite the deep emotional connection people had for this place, the significance of the
Cottage faded from our collective memory due to restricted access and being set apart from the …show more content…
Still others suggested that the Proclamation was a good first step but did not go far enough. In the 100 days that followed, the Proclamation was debated and Lincoln pressed from all sides on what to do next. Ultimately, he enacted the Emancipation Proclamation — with a few key modifications — on January 1, 1863. And yet the debate over the meaning and impact of the Emancipation
Proclamation continues to this day. This ongoing debate underscores the enduring significance of the Proclamation and supports its designation as one of the most influential documents in our nation’s history. The Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for the 13th Amendment and iv marked a critical turning point in the evolution of civil rights in America. For this reason, we could not imagine a more fitting co-sponsor for this anthology than the United States Commission on
Civil Rights and are honored that they agreed to undertake this project with us. We are each doing our part to raise awareness about the history of our freedoms in this country and to encourage people to actively engage in discourse about our rights