Has National Freedom Day Been Forgotten?

Avid history enthusiasts and social justice activists are likely aware that Sunday, February 1 is National Freedom Day, but many of us have probably never heard of the designation. Although not a public holiday, National Freedom Day is an observance in the United States that honors the signing of a resolution that proposed the 13th amendment to the nation’s constitution. On February 1, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, who was president at the time, signed the resolution to outlaw slavery and involuntary servitude.

According to the National Today website, National Freedom Day “serves as a reminder of the fundamental principles of freedom, liberty, and human rights that are the foundation of the United States. This day is an occasion to reflect on the progress made in achieving civil rights and to reaffirm the commitment to eliminating all forms of oppression and discrimination.” The anniversary of the signing of the Constitution’s thirteenth amendment, which was ratified on December 6, 1865, is annually observed on February 1.

This day was originally proposed as a national holiday in 1941 by Major Richard Robert Wright Sr. A former slave from Georgia, Wright was then a community leader in Philadelphia, active in education, the media, business, and politics. He lobbied Congress to designate a day when the freedom of all Americans would be celebrated. Although Wright succeeded in establishing the National Freedom Day Association in 1941 and saw the first commemoration of such a day take place on February 1 in Philadelphia in 1942, the declaration for a National Freedom Day wasn’t officially signed into law until June 30, 1948. On that day, President Harry S. Truman signed the proclamation that designated February 1 as National Freedom Day in the United States. Wright, however, didn’t live to see his efforts celebrated. The civil rights advocate died on July 2 in 1947.

As shared by the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, the earliest observances of National Freedom Day included parades and gatherings of delegates from around the nation at Independence and Congress Halls. Here, prominent speakers such as Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice of the Supreme Court who served until 1991, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—perhaps most famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech—called attention to issues such as political participation and economic opportunity for African Americans. A consistent feature of the commemoration has been the laying of a wreath at the Liberty Bell.

Although today, this Philadelphia-born celebration often gets overlooked in favor of July 4, Independence Day, National Today offers ways to observe National Freedom Day and identifies why it is important.