Black History Month 2013 At the Crossroads of Freedom and
Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on
Washington Dr. Carter G. Woodson realized the importance of
providing a theme that would focus the attention of the public
when he established Negro History week in 1926. The Association
for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
dedicates the 2013 Annual Black History Theme to celebrating the
anniversary of two important African American turning points -
the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on
Washington. The Emancipation Proclamation, decreed by President
Abraham Lincoln on January 1st, 1863, declared slaves in all
confederate states then at war with the Union "forever free" and
made them eligible for paid military service in the Union Army.
Although it did not end slavery in the nation, it did transform
the character of the war. After the proclamation was made, every
advance of Federal troops expanded the domain of freedom and
black men were allowed to serve in