TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – People across Florida are celebrating the day slavery ended in the Sunshine State.
May 20 is Emancipation Day in Florida. It was on this date in 1865, 11 days after the Civil War ended, that General Edward McCook read the Emancipation Proclamation in Tallahassee, freeing slaves in Florida.
Florida politics:
Events across the state are held to keep history alive.
“Emancipation Day is the day that we proclaim freedom for slaves, and we cannot forget that, especially when we see the potential for not all our history to be taught. So it is important that we teach that history,” said Rep. Alison Tant, D-Tallahassee.
Secretary of State Cord Byrd has said he’s working with lawmakers to get May 20 designated as Emancipation Day in state law.
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