When did African-American slavery end?
First, a note on something often misunderstood — though the Emancipation Proclamation was NOT the instrument through which slavery was abolished in the United States, this act DID free slaves! While it is true that slaves in rebel territory did not gain their freedom the instant it was proclaimed (in final form on January 1, 1863). but it DID declare that all those slaves who had run away from their masters were free (and could rest assured the Union would NOT return them to slavery). And from then to the end of the war, as soon as Union forces were able to take charge of an area, its slaves were also freed. Also the proclamation DID open the way for later gains. Along with the practice of allowing blacks to fight (and gain much respect doing so) and Lincoln’s other political efforts, it helped convince border states to end slavery (as Lincoln had long urged them to do voluntarily), and finally to passage of the 13th amendment. And the complaint that the Emancipation Proclamation did
People celebrate various dates in this country regarding the end of slavery, and it depends upon your viewpoint of when it really ended. January 1st is often celebrated because it is the official date that Abraham Lincoln set in the Emancipation Proclamation for the end of slavery in areas affected by the proclamation. August 1 used to be celebrated as Emancipation Day, as it marked the date in 1834 when Great Britain outlawed slavery in the British West Indies. June 19, 1865 is known as “Juneteenth,” and it marks the day when Union troops entered Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War. Gradually the date became celebrated outside of Texas and today is commonly called Juneteenth, and commemorates the day that the last slaves in the U.S. were liberated.
Vermont abolished slavery in 1791. Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment, anti-slavery, on February 1, 1865. Lincoln was assassinated two months later. After the Civil War, 3/4ths of the then states ratified the 13th Amendment on December 6th, 1865. Offenses of that anti-slavery Amendment were still being prosecuted as late as 1947! Finally in 1995, Mississippi was the last state to ratify it.
