On April 19, 1866, thousands of African American citizens in Washington, D.C. held a monumental celebration marking the abolition of slavery in the United States. Between 4,000 and 5,000 people gathered near the White House to hear President Andrew Johnson deliver remarks. The historic procession, led by two Black military regiments, proceeded up Pennsylvania Avenue to Franklin Square. The crowd was filled with formerly enslaved people, Union veterans, religious leaders, and children—many waving flags or holding banners with messages of freedom and hope. This Emancipation Day parade symbolized both triumph over bondage and a demand for full citizenship in post-Civil War America.
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