<p>The DC Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862 ended slavery in Washington, DC, freed 3,100 individuals, reimbursed those who had legally owned them and offered the newly freed women and men money to emigrate. It is this legislation, and the courage and struggle of those who fought to make it a reality, that we commemorate every April 16, DC Emancipation Day.
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In 2017, Emancipation Day is celebrated one week early.
<bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q116943179" class="extiw" title="d:Q116943179"><span title="American physician and photographer">Ted Eytan</span></a>
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CC BY-SA 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/taedc/33089628344/">2017.04.08 Emancipation Day, Washington, DC USA 02200</a>