In most of the country, the Emancipation Proclamation, which followed the hard fought American victory at Antietam in 1863, is the big one.

But in Washington, DC, there is a more localized and very important day – a city holiday – called Emancipation Day.

The DC Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862, enacted by President Lincoln, 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, if they so desired.