National Freedom Day

National Freedom Day is celebrated on 1st February, honoring the signing by Abraham Lincoln, of a resolution which later became the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution.

President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on 1st February 1865, after Major Richard Robert Wright Sr, a former slave, petitioned for their to be a recognized day when freedom for all Americans was celebrated. 

Major Wright invited national and local leaders to meet in Philadelphia to formulate plans to set aside 1st February each year to memorialize this, and one year after his death in 1947, both of the houses of US Congress passed the bill to make 1st February National Freedom Day. 

The holiday proclamation was signed into law by President Harry Truman, and became the forerunner to Black History Day and later Black History Month, officially recognized in 1976.

I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate February 1, 1949, and each succeeding February 1, as national Freedom Day; and I call upon the people of the United States to pause on that day in solemn contemplation of the glorious blessings of freedom which we humbly and thankfully enjoy.

On 1st February, many towns have festivals, while other citizens reflect on the freedoms that the United States honors. Wreath-laying at the Liberty Bell has also been a tradition to mark National Freedom Day for many years, and symbols of the day may include a theme about freedom for all Americans.

One old time radio series in particular always stands out to me when I think of the continuing struggle for African American justice and equality, and that is the series I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, called Destination Freedom. 

You can listen to the series on RUSC today, with more shows being added this, and in the coming weeks.

Happy listening my friends,