Through the first
half of the nineteenth century, the nation’s capital of
Washington, D. C., was an important center for the interstate
slave trade. The
Compromise of 1850 abolished
the slave trade in the nation’s capital, but slavery continued
as a legal institution there into the Civil War.
Near the end of his one term in Congress
(1847-1849), Abraham Lincoln proposed a bill for a popular
referendum in the District of Columbia on the question of
slavery. Under its terms, if a majority voted for emancipation,
then slaveowners would be given the option of freeing their
slaves for full market-value compensation from the federal
government. (The house servants of federal officials living in
the District of Columbia were exempt.) Furthermore, all
children of slaves born after 1850 would be free. When made
public, the plan was attacked by all sides, so Lincoln did not
officially introduce it for consideration by the U.S. House of
Representatives. Although unsuccessful, the incident reveals
Lincoln’s commitment to compromise, gradualism, and compensation
as appropriate methods to achieve the goal of emancipation.
On April 6, 1862, the Senate passed a bill
(29-14) abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. It
was the first congressional legislation concerning emancipation
that applied to the slaves of loyal as well as disloyal owners.
The bill provided compensation to the former owners who swore loyalty to the Union
(up to $300 per slave), and it allocated money
for the voluntary colonization of the former slaves to Haiti,
Liberia, or other foreign nations (up to $100 per person). The
bill passed the House on April 11 (93-39), and was signed into
law by President Lincoln on April 16. The more than 3000
ex-slaves living in the District of Columbia could testify in
special emancipation hearings and receive certificates of
freedom. Compensation was awarded for the vast majority of the
slaves, totaling nearly $1 million in federal funds. It was the
only time the federal government compensated former slaveowners
for the loss of their slaves.
The April 19, 1862 issue of Harper’s
Weekly (published April 9) reported how the
Senate had rejected a substitute version of the District
Emancipation Bill that would have required a popular referendum
and replaced immediate with gradual emancipation. An amendment
to the original bill was approved that required the former
slaveowners to submit the names of the slaves for whom they were
seeking compensation so that that ex-slaves could receive a
certificate of freedom. An amendment to the bill allotting
federal funds for voluntary colonization was also approved
before its passage.
For years, the black community of
Washington, D. C., celebrated the District Emancipation Act on
or around its anniversary of April 16. The May 12, 1866 issue
of Harper’s Weekly illustrated and described that year’s
celebration on Saturday, April 19. It included
a parade, music, a religious service, and addresses by President
Andrew Johnson and others. |
1)
April 19, 1862, p. 243, c. 2-3
“Domestic Intelligence” column
2) May 12, 1866, p. 300
illustrated article, “The Negro Celebration in Washington,” anniversary of
abolition of slavery in DC
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