Oh Happy Day

DC observes Emancipation Day on Monday, April 16, marking the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln signing the Compensated Emancipation Act, freeing 3,100 DC slaves. Local government offices will be closed, and at 11:00 am a sesquicentennial parade will proceed along Pennsylvania Avenue between 4th and 14th streets before culminating at Freedom Plaza.

The Act, in place nine months before Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and more than three years before the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, was ratified in 1865. It is the only example of compensation issued by the federal government to slave owners who freed their human charges. Newly liberated slaves who chose to leave the U.S. and colonize in places such as Liberia and Haiti were also compensated.

In addition to the 150th Anniversary Emancipation Day Parade, month-long activities, including public discussions and exhibits, are planned throughout the city at venues such as President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home and the African American Civil War Museum.

In fact, Cultural Tourism DC (1250 H Street), the Willard InterContinental Washington (1401 Pennsylvania Avenue) and Ford’s Theatre (511 10th Street) have presented a mobile scavenger hunt contest, Free in DC: Celebrating 150 Years of Emancipation, for DC residents and visitors. The smartphone-based game explores emancipation and Civil War history across the city by taking contestants to 11 sites. By the end of April 16, the 30 competitors with the highest scores will receive gift bags courtesy of President Lincoln’s Cottage–one of 11 organizations contributing to Free in DC–and be entered into a drawing for the grand prize: a two-night stay at the Willard.

The location-based trivia game is available through SCVNGR, a free mobile gaming application for download on iPhone and Android smartphones. Full downloading instructions are available at the Cultural Tourism DC website, where you can also find a list of Emancipation Day events and activities.

Nationally, all taxpayers will benefit from DC’s official public holiday, signed into law by former Mayor Anthony Williams in January 2005. Because Emancipation Day falls on April 16th, and the normal tax deadline of April 15th falls on a Sunday this year, the federal tax deadline is delayed until midnight on Tuesday, April 17th.