National Freedom Day

National Freedom Day is observed yearly on February 1. Major Richard Robert Wright Sr., a former slave, fought to have a day when freedom for all Americans is celebrated. When Wright got his freedom, he went on to become a successful businessman and community leader in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Major Wright chose February 1 as National Freedom Day in recognition of the 13th Amendment. It was on this day in 1865 that President Abraham Lincoln signed a joint House and Senate resolution that would ultimately be ratified as the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The 13th Amendment extended and expanded on the Emancipation Proclamation that Lincoln had issued in 1863, which only applied to enslaved people living in states under rebellion. On June 30, 1948, the bill to designate February 1 as National Freedom Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman.