ALPLM displaying Emancipation Proclamation copy to honor Juneteenth

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A Juneteenth celebration at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will feature a rare copy of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The document, which features the signature of Abraham Lincoln, will be free to view for the public. It will be displayed at ALPLM on June 17, June 19-24 and June 27-30.

“Few documents in all of American history carry the weight of the Emancipation Proclamation. We are proud to share it with the public and celebrate its connection to such a joyous holiday,” said ALPLM Executive Director Christina Shutt.

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, with the goal of freeing anyone enslaved in states that were attempting to secede from the Union. The proclamation could not be enforced until federal troops captured Southern territory. As a result, many people stayed in chains until the Civil War ended.

Juneteenth marks the arrival of federal troops on June 19, 1865, to free enslaved people in Galveston, Texas.

The copy of the Emancipation Proclamation at ALPLM is one of about two dozen remaining.