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Parade Celebrating the Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in Hampton Roads, 1944

CONTENT WARNING

Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation. 

Context

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declared freedom to enslaved people within states that were in rebellion against the United States. All enslaved people in areas of Virginia that were not controlled by the United States Army were to be free, although the Proclamation had little effect in the state until the end of the Civil War. 

More than 400,000 Virginians lived in slavery in 1860 and all experienced the end of slavery in different ways. During the war, thousands of enslaved people emancipated themselves by seeking protection behind Union army lines and several refugee camps were established around the state. Others experienced freedom when the Union army arrived in their communities. After the Civil War, people celebrated emancipation at different times. In Richmond, for example, celebrations were held on April 3, which was the anniversary of the date the U.S. Army entered the city in 1865. Norfolk residents celebrated with parades on January 1, the date the Emanicpation Proclamation took effect.

Black citizens celebrated Emancipation Day around Virginia and the country into the twentieth century with excursions, parties, and even parades. These occasions illustrated Black communities' civic engagement and continued demands for equal rights. On Dec. 31, 1944, a parade in Newport News included World War II soldiers. Sections of the 3166th Quartermaster Service Company and 3167th Quartermaster Service Company, and the color guard unit from Camp Hill marched down Jefferson Avenue in Newport News. Shipyard workers' floats and the Camp Hill Band also marched in the parade. This celebration and others like it during World War II could have been part of the larger "Double V campaign," in which Black Americans fought for victory for democracy overseas and at home. By actively showing their willingness to fight for the war effort despite the prejudice they faced in the U.S., Black citizens highlighted the hypocrisy of segregation in the midst of a war to save the world from fascism.

Citation: U.S. Army Signal Corps. Parade Celebrating the 81st Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, 1944, Print & Photographs, Special Collections, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.


Learn more about emancipation celebrations in The UncommonWealth blog.

Standards

VS.10, VS.9, USII.6, USII.8, VUS.14, VUS.16, GOVT.2

Suggested Questions

Preview Activity

Look at It: Look at the photograph. What appears to be happening in the photograph? What do you notice about the people who are the subject of the photograph?

Post Activities

Virginia Validation: How do you think the Emancipation Proclamation affected other states? Do you think Virginia's experiences were similar to them?

Social Media Spin: Imagine you are attending and watching this parade, create a social media post in which you explain the experience and/or importance of the event.