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Archives to Display Original Proclamation

In honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and in conjunction with the National Archives exhibit “The People’s Vote,” the original Emancipation Proclamation will be on display Jan. 19 in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom.

Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, the proclamation formally declared the freedom of all slaves held in areas still in revolt during the Civil War. Although it did not end slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation placed the slavery issue at the forefront of the U.S. agenda and helped clear the way for the passage of the 13th Amendment, which formally outlawed slavery in the United States in 1865.

In a recent poll of the 100 documents that shaped America, which was conducted through “The People’s Vote,” the Emancipation Proclamation was voted the sixth most important document.

Monday’s exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, call (202) 501-5526.

Douglass Site Will Host MLK Film Festival

The National Park Service’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Film Festival will kick off Jan. 18 at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.

The weeklong festival will feature one film daily from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., showing at the site’s visitor center, located at 1411 W St. SE.

The festival’s cinematic offerings will include “Eyes on the Prize,” “The Long Walk Home,” “Ghosts of Mississippi,” “A History of the Civil Rights Movement,” and “Our Friend Martin,” for ages 4 to 18.

The program is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and groups of five or more should call (202) 426-5961 to reserve space.

John McArdle and Bree Hocking

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