[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 126, 112th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8923--DEC. 31, 2012

Proclamation 8923 of December 31, 2012

150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On December 31, 1862, our Nation marked the end of another year of civil
war. At Shiloh and Seven Pines, Harpers Ferry and Antietam,


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brother had fought against brother. Sister had fought against sister. Blood and
bitterness had deepened the divide that separated North from South,
eroding the bonds of affection that once united 34 States under a single
flag. Slavery still suspended the possibility of an America where life
and liberty were the birthright of all, not the province of some.
Yet, even in those dark days, light persisted. Hope endured. As the
weariness of an old year gave way to the promise of a new one, President
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation--courageously
declaring that on January 1, 1863, ``all persons held as slaves'' in
rebellious areas ``shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.'' He
opened the Union Army and Navy to African Americans, giving new strength
to liberty's cause. And with that document, President Lincoln lent new
moral force to the war by making it a fight not just to preserve, but
also to empower. He sought to reunite our people not only in government,
but also in freedom that knew no bounds of color or creed. Every battle
became a battle for liberty itself. Every struggle became a struggle for
equality.
Our 16th President also understood that while each of us is entitled to
our individual rights and responsibilities, there are certain things we
cannot accomplish on our own. Only a Union could serve the hopes of
every citizen, knocking down the barriers to opportunity and giving each
of us the chance to pursue our highest aspirations. He knew that in
these United States, no dream could ever be beyond our reach when we
affirm that individual liberty is served, not negated, by seeking the
common good.
It is that spirit that made emancipation possible and codified it in our
Constitution. It is that belief in what we can do together that moved
millions to march for justice in the years that followed. And today, it
is a legacy we choose not only to remember, but also to make our own.
Let us begin this new year by renewing our bonds to one another and
reinvesting in the work that lies ahead, confident that we can keep
driving freedom's progress in our time.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 1, 2013, as
the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. I call upon all
Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities that celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation and reaffirm the
timeless principles it upheld.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA