First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by President
Lincoln. (Painted by Francis Carpenter)

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date of January 1, 1863 for the
freedom of more than 3 million black slaves in the United States and
recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, shortly after Lincoln’s inauguration
as America’s 16th president, he maintained that the war was about
restoring the Union and not about slavery. He avoided issuing an anti-
slavery proclamation immediately, despite the urgings of abolitionists
and radical Republicans, as well as his personal belief that slavery was
morally repugnant. Instead, Lincoln chose to move cautiously until he
could gain wide support from the public for such a measure.

President Lincoln signing the Emancipation
Proclamation.

The five page original document, held in the National Archives
Building. Until 1936 it had been bound with other proclamations
in a large volume held by the Department of State.

(Fox News) – An extremely rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of
Independence has gone on public display for the first time in over
a century.

The printing is on display at the Museum of the American Revolution
in Philadelphia through the end of 2019. This is also the first time that
the print has been displayed in a museum.

Printed by newspaper publisher and printer John Holt in New York in
1776, the artifact is addressed to Col. David Mulford, a Revolutionary
War colonel who died of smallpox in 1778. The print stayed in the
possession of Mulford’s family until 2017, when it was sold to Holly
Metcalf Kinyon, herself a descendant of Declaration signer John
Witherspoon.

(Fox News) – A rare document signed by the president of the United States recognizing the Jewish State of Israel is up for sale, days ahead of Israeli Independence Day.

Before any other nation, President Harry S. Truman issued the historic 
statement recognizing "the new State of Israel" dated May 14, 1948. But
he didn’t sign the official document until many years later.

President Harry S. Truman is shown in the Oval Office on
July 9, 1948.

SANDY KOZEL

The amended Declaration of Independence, prepared by Thomas Jefferson, was approved and signed by John Hancock, the
President of the Continental Congress in America on this day
in 1776.

The U.S. Military Academy officially opened at West Point, NY. on
this day in 1802.

Lou Gehrig retired from major league baseball on this day in 1939.

Lou Gehrig’s gives his infamous retirement speech for the New York Yankees. It was one of the most memorable sports speeches of all
time.