On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order freeing all slaves in the ten Confederate States. It did not, however, outlaw slavery, so on Aprl 8, 1864, the Senate passed a bill amending the Constitution to abolish slavery in the United States. The House of Representatives passed the bill on January 1, 1865. The next day, February 1—now observed as National Freedom Day—the President signed the joint resolution proposing the amendment, and by December 6 the required number of states had ratified it. It was followed in 1868 by the 14th or “equal protection” Amendment and in 1870 by the 15th Amendment which guaranteed every citizen (except women!) the right to vote.
Though not a national holiday, February 1 is a reminder of the many freedoms enjoyed in the United States—and of those scattered throughout the world who do not enjoy the same.
In A Very Kate Christmas, readers were introduced to the character of Mr. Amos, an ex-slave who found his home in the hearts of the Bancroft family whose house he managed on their Texas Panhandle ranch. When widowed Olivia Bancroft married Dan Forrester, they somewhat impulsively adopted a newborn baby girl found almost frozen in a deserted line shack. Kate’s new family consisted of three much-older siblings whom Mr. Amos had helped raise. Now he had another little one to help shape and guide.
The Kate Chronicles are tentatively scheduled for release this year, but it seems fitting to share “Amo’s Story” on National Freedom Day.
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