National Archives News RSS FeedPresident Visits National Archives, Views Emancipation Proclamation
On January 16, 2006, the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday, President George W. Bush visited the National Archives Building to examine the original Emancipation Proclamation, which was on display for four days during that holiday weekend. The President also toured the "Public Vaults" exhibition where he saw records relating to the Freedman's Bureau and home movies of Presidents and their families.
"Abraham Lincoln recognized that all men are created equal," the President said during the visit. "Today, we celebrate the life of an American who called Americans to account when we didn't live up to our ideals." Bush also suggested that all Americans visit the National Archives. "It's really an amazing place," he said. "It's really fascinating." The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Lincoln on January 1, 1863, and declared that "all persons held as slaves" within the states that had seceded during the Civil War "are, and henceforward shall be free."
The proclamation is shown only a few days each year because the paper and ink are vulnerable to light.
