Legislation1862
Compensated Emancipation Act in Washington, D.C.
President Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, freeing approximately 3,100 enslaved people in the nation's capital. This was the only compensated emancipation legislation enacted during the Civil War, occurring nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.
Why It Matters
This act ended slavery in the seat of the federal government, sending a powerful signal about the direction of the war and the nation's commitment to freedom.