Exhibition at the UCSB Library Commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

Signed by Abraham Lincoln, it became law on January 1, 1863, more than two years before the Civil War ended with General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House.

“Who Freed the Slaves? Emancipation as a Social Movement,” an exhibition in the Department of Special Collections at the UC Santa Barbara Library, highlights the long history behind the Emancipation Proclamation. The exhibition marks the 150th anniversary of this important document, and takes a look at the circumstances under which it was issued, and its impact on those who opposed and supported slavery as an institution.

John Majewski, professor of history at UCSB and co-curator of the exhibition, will give a talk titled “Who Freed the Slaves?” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12, in the Mary Cheadle Room on the third floor of the UCSB Library. His talk is free and open to the public.

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