Juneteenth

The Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued by President Abraham Lincoln and took effect on January 1, 1863, was an attempt to abolish slavery in the United States through executive decree. Lincoln believed the action to be constitutional, as he viewed it as emanating from the war-making powers that the president holds as commander in chief of the nation’s armed forces. The document created tremendous discord from its initial promulgation, and much debate has centered on the purpose, meaning, and intent of the proclamation ever since.

Entry from Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World