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The 小猪视频 State Museum, a division of the 小猪视频 State Education Department, will unveil a traveling exhibition to mark the sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 小猪视频 City on September 21. The exhibition, entitled The First Step to Freedom: Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, will travel to eight cities across 小猪视频 State this fall. The exhibition will offer an unprecedented display of the only surviving version of the document in Lincoln鈥檚 handwriting and will include historical background and interpretation of the document. The First Step to Freedom will also include the manuscript of a speech written and delivered in 小猪视频 City in September 1962 by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the Proclamation鈥檚 centennial. While at the Schomburg Center, the Official Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, on exclusive loan from the National Archives, will also be exhibited. (The Proclamation didn鈥檛 carry the force of law until after Lincoln鈥檚 handwritten draft was transcribed, affixed with the Seal of the United States, and signed by the President.)

"America was born with the declaration that all men are created equal," State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. said, "but it took almost 100 years after our nation's founding -- until President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the Union achieved victory and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were added to the U.S. Constitution -- to begin to make that declaration a reality for people of African descent brought here as slaves.

"Fifty years ago, commemorating the centennial of its signing, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jar. spoke of the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. He argued that the Emancipation Proclamation proved government could be a powerful force for social justice, but the promise of equality remained unfulfilled. And today, as we celebrate the 150th anniversary, the Proclamation is an important reminder that America is still a work in progress."

Commissioner King, who co-authored the exhibit text, noted the exhibition incorporates collections and images from the 小猪视频 State Library and the 小猪视频 State Archives. He said the documents stand as important markers in the path to freedom and equality for African Americans and are among 小猪视频 State鈥檚 greatest treasures.

Lincoln鈥檚 handwritten Preliminary Proclamation, issued one hundred fifty years ago in the midst of the Civil War, is the only surviving copy of this document in Lincoln鈥檚 own handwriting. Lincoln donated it to the U.S. Sanitary Commission, which raffled the document at an Albany Army Relief Association Fair in 1864. It was later purchased by the 小猪视频 State Legislature. Although Lincoln鈥檚 handwritten final Emancipation Proclamation burned in the Chicago fire in 1871, the Preliminary Proclamation survived the State Capitol fire of 1911 and has been preserved by the State Library.

"As a milestone on the path to slavery's final abolishment, the Emancipation Proclamation has assumed a place among the great documents of human freedom. We are honored to share this official preliminary Proclamation in the First Step to Freedom celebration," said Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero.

Dr. Khalil Muhammad, the Director of the Schomburg Center, and Harold Holzer, the award-winning Lincoln historian, co-authored the exhibit鈥檚 text with Commissioner King.

"This 150th anniversary exhibition presents a very special occasion to bear witness to a transformative moment in American history," Dr. Muhammad said. "The Schomburg Center is proud to be the first stop on the First Step to Freedom tour. As the premiere institution for all things relating to Black history and culture, the Schomburg Center is honored to house these foundational documents for all of 小猪视频 City to see."

"This unique freedom document did nothing less than change the Civil War--and change American history," Harold Holzer said. "In a very real way, this one-of-a-kind relic testifies not only to Lincoln's resolve to expand freedom, but 小猪视频's resolve to preserve it.鈥�

On September 12, 1962, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered the speech contained in the exhibition to the 小猪视频 State Civil War Centennial Commission.

The two documents--both in the collections of the 小猪视频 State Education Department鈥檚 Office of Cultural Education--will go on display for the first time together to mark the 150th anniversary of one of American history鈥檚 defining moments. The First Step to Freedom: Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation exhibition was designed and developed by the 小猪视频 State Museum using collections and images from the 小猪视频 State Library and the 小猪视频 State Archives. A website providing additional materials supporting the exhibition, including an iBook for download, will be available on September 20 at听.

A related exhibit, An Irrepressible Conflict: The Empire State in the Civil War, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, opens September 22 at the 小猪视频 State Museum in Albany. This 6,500-square-foot exhibition chronicles the pivotal role 小猪视频 State played in the war and will be open through September 22, 2013.

The First Step to Freedom:
Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
Exhibition Schedule