It was New Year’s morning in 1863, and the country was politically divided. Americans had seen their country split in two, on one side was the state of the Union led and on the other was the Confederate States of America. The two sides divided on the issue of slavery, but that day for the first time in history , the Union made a move to set all enslaved people free.
“The emancipation proclamation was a military act given by the commander in chief, Abraham Lincoln. It declares any state of the rebellion that was breaking away from the Union that their slaves should be emancipated.”
That is local historian, Randal Jelks. He says that the proclamation only meant freedom for those slaves in confederate states who knew about the act.
“Many slaves who learned of the act could run across enemy lines to free themselves into the Union Army.”
But nearly one million slaves who lived in those states that did not leave the Union to join the Confederates, like in Mississippi or Tennessee were not actually free. Jelks says slavery did not legally end until the passing of the 13thamendment in 1865, when slaves born in the United States were granted citizenship.
“Slaves were not citizens of the United States though all of those people, my ancestors, were all born in the United states.”
It was not until 1872, seven years after the passing of the 13th amendment when Michigan elected its’ first African American for public office and that was William J Hardy who served as supervisor of Gaines Township.
Michelle Jokisch Polo, WGVU News.