District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act

District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn Act for the Release of certain Persons held to Service or Labor in the District of Columbia
Enacted bythe 37th United States Congress
EffectiveApril 16, 1862; 162 years ago (1862-04-16)
Citations
Public law37–50
Statutes at Large12 Stat. 376
Legislative history
Major amendments
An Act Supplementary to the Act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 37–127, 12 Stat. 538

An Act for the Release of certain Persons held to Service or Labor in the District of Columbia, 37th Cong., Sess. 2, ch. 54, 12 Stat. 376, known colloquially as the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act or simply Compensated Emancipation Act, was a law that ended slavery in the District of Columbia, while providing slave owners who remained loyal to the United States in the then-ongoing Civil War to petition for compensation. Although not written by him,[1] the act was signed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 16, 1862. April 16 is now celebrated in the city as Emancipation Day.

  1. ^ Guelzo 2009, p. 128