Editor’s Pick: The Emancipation Proclamation Comes To Dearborn
Once in a while an event comes along that we just have to crow about. This month it’s a rare opportunity to see an important piece of history up close and personal. For only two days The Henry Ford will display the original Emancipation Proclamation. How rare of an event is this? The last time this Civil War document came to Michigan was more than half a century ago.
For any Metro Detroiter who’s spent time at The Henry Ford, there’s little doubt that each summer’s weekend-long Civil War re-enactments are a cultural high point, drawing huge crowds.
This summer, the one-of-a-kind American history museum marks the 150th anniversary of the War Between The States with the presentation, Discovering the Civil War, a comprehensive display of little-seen records, documents, and artifacts from the National Archives.
But that’s not why we’re making it an Editor’s Pick. The real reason is that The Henry Ford is offering Metro Detroiters the rare opportunity to see first-hand and up close Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
How rare of an opportunity is it? The last time the Emancipation Proclamation was displayed in Michigan was 1948 (that’s 63 years ago, for those who don’t want to do the math).
For only two days, The Henry Ford will make this historically pivotal document available for viewing to the public. Admission to see it is FREE and the museum is keeping special hours to allow as many people as possible to take a gander. From 6:00pm June 20 until 6:00am June 22nd, the museum will be open around the clock.
Pretty cool, huh?
For more information click here.
The Emancipation Proclamation issued on September 22, 1862, by President Lincoln, became effective on Jan 1, 1863, and formally proclaimed the freedom of all slaves. This document invited black men to join the Union Army and Navy, resulting in the enlistment of approximately 200,000 freed slaves and free black people before the War’s end.
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