By: Lexie Dare
On February 1, we celebrate National Freedom Day in honor of President Abraham Lincoln signing an agreement between the House and the Senate. This agreement later became the 13th Amendment, abolishing legal slavery in the United States. Freedom Day was made a holiday under the petition of Major Richard Robert Wright Sr., who was a former slave.
The holiday was made official in 1948, when President Truman signed Proclamation 2824. The day Truman signed Proclamation 2824, a window was opened to new possibilities of equality and harmony in the United States. Although there is more harmony in the United States than when the proclamation was originally signed, there is still a ways to go in order to reach equality. Let us remember to treat everyone we meet with respect and kindness.