National Archives Edition Includes Message from Congressman John Lewis

The Foundation for the National Archives, in association with Applewood Books, announces the release of The Emancipation Proclamation, a special edition book published in honor of the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln’s signing of the proclamation.

The National Archives’ edition, available only in the new myArchives Store at the National Archives Building, includes a message from Congressman John Lewis, a leader in the civil rights movement who chairs the National Archives Host Committee for the 150th anniversary celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Host Committee is a distinguished group of former Presidents of the United States and First Ladies, civic and community leaders, historians, authors, journalists, and celebrities drawn together by their love of history and their dedication to assisting the National Archives and its Foundation in increasing awareness of the important work of our nation’s official record keeper.

In addition to the full text of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 32-page book also includes the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation from July, 1862; President Lincoln’s remarks at a cabinet meeting in September, 1862; the text of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation; and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed slavery nationwide.

The official Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and billions more records of the federal government, are held in trust for the American people by the National Archives.

A special three-day viewing of the fragile Emancipation Proclamation is scheduled Dec. 30, 2012—Jan. 1, 2013, in the East Rotunda of the National Archives Building.

The 150th anniversary celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation is presented in part by the Verizon Foundation.

For more information on the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives and a Calendar of Events, visit EP150.com.

For a listing of other publications published by the Foundation for the National Archives, please visit us online.