April 16, 2008
Emancipation Day Holiday Overshadowed by Papal Visit
There was a parade this morning at Franklin Square to celebrate Emancipation Day -- not that anyone much noticed, what with Pope Benedict XVI's visit taking up all the attention. But indeed today is an important District-wide holiday, as it was on this day in 1862 that President Abraham Lincoln freed over 3,000 slaves in the District with the declaration of the Compensated Emancipation Act, which came eight months before slaves were freed throughout the nation. Here's what the act said:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all persons held to service or labor within the District of Columbia by reason of African descent are hereby discharged and freed of and from all claim to such service or labor; and from and after the passage of this act neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except for crime, whereof the party shall be duly convicted, shall hereafter exist in said District.Since many of the usual Emancipation Day activities and celebrations, such as a big voting rights march, were canceled this year due to the Pope being in town, here's what you probably really need to know: many D.C. government agencies are closed today, and you won't be getting any parking tickets from the city, so feel free to ignore those street cleaning schedules to your heart's content.
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"which came eight months before slaves were freed throughout the nation"
Which came into effect eight months later on January 1, 1863, of course, the Emancipation Proclamation, did not free slaves "throughout the nation" but only those in the control of the Confederacy. Slaves were freed throughout the nation when the 13th Amendment were ratified almost three years after that, on December 18, 1865.
here's what you probably really need to know: many D.C. government agencies are closed today, and you won't be getting any parking tickets from the city
So then, none of the street parking restrictions imposed by the pope's visit are actually going to be enforced today? That would seem odd... or is there some papal exception that doesn't protect the rest of the city's streets? And for that matter, how good an idea is it to suspend certain restrictions, like rush hour parking restrictions, that impede traffic flow on a day that's still a regular work day for even federal workers?
that's where the feds and everyone else need to get on the ball and give us all april 16th off, every year! (continuing my quest for less and less work days...)
. . . you won't be getting any parking tickets from the city, so feel free to ignore those street cleaning schedules to your heart's content.
Shit, I moved my cars today for nothing.