The panel talked about how the process of emancipation played out in the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia had a deeply entrenched slavery culture, notable for having one of the largest escape of slaves through the Underground Railroad. At the same time that politicians in Washington demanded an end to the Atlantic Slave Trade, there was slavery occurring within the city. The panelists talked about the creation of legal redress for slaves, the role of religious organizations in DC-area emancipation, and the implementation of formal emancipation. 

“Emancipation in the District of Columbia” was the fourth panel on the second day of the conference on “Race and Emancipation in the Age of Lincoln,” held as part of the national commemoration of the 200th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Howard University hosted the conference co-sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC).