Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-01-08
The Presidents Proclamation of Free
dom.
By the President of the United States of
America
\ PROCLAMATION

VHefeGS, On tne AAu QaF OF SeptemDef, IN
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hun
dred and sixty-two, Proclamation was issued
by the President of the United States, con-
tanning, among other things, the following, to
wit:
That on the first day of January, IN the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
within any STATE or designated part of State,
the people whereof shall be in rebellion against
the United States, shall be then, thenceforth,
and forever free, and the Executive Govern
ment Of the United States, including the Mil
itary and Naval authority, will recognize and
MAINTAIN the freedom of such persons, and
will do no act or acts to repress such persons
or any OF them, IN any enoiu .r.es .....,
for their actual freedom:
That the Executive will, on the first day of
January aforesaid, by proclamation designate
the States and parts of States, if any, in which
the people thereof respectively shall then be
in rebellion against the United States, and the
fact that a State, or the people thereof, shall
on that day, be in good faith represented in
the Congress of the United States by mem
bers chosen thereto, at elections wherein a
majority of the qualified voters of such State
shall have participated, shall, in the absence of
strong countervailng testimony be deemed
COuCIuSlNt eNIueuCe tudl SuCH OldSe, anu tLt
people therhof, are not then in rebellion against
the United States:
Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, Presi-
dent Of the United States, by virtue of the
power In me vested as Commander in Chief Of
the Army and Navy of the United States, in
time of actual armed rebellion against the au
thority and Government of the United States,
and as fit and necessary war measure, for
suppressing SAID rebellion, do, on this first day
of January, in the year of our Lord one thou
sand eight hundred and sixty-three, and IN ac-
cordance with my purpose so to do, publicly
proclaimed for the period of one hundred days
from the day first above mentioned, order and
designate, as the States and parts of States
wherei the people thereof, respectively, are
this day in rebellion against the United States,
the following, to wit:
Arkansas, Texas, louisiana, Except the
parishes of St. Bernard, Placquemine .Teffre-
son, st. Johns, St. Charles, st. James, Ascen-
sion, Assumption, Terrebone, Lafourche, ST.
Mary St. Martin, and Orleans, including the
city of New Orleans,) Mississippi, Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina North Car
olina, and Virginia, except the forty light
counties designated as West Virginia, and al
so the counties of Berkley, Accomac, North
\ ampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann,
and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk
and Portsmouth, and which excepted parts are
for the present left precisely as if this procla-
nation were not issued.
And by virtue of the power and for the
p; rpose aforesaid, | do order and declare that
all persons te!d as slaves within said desig-
mated States and parts of States, are, and
henceforward shall be- free and that the Ex-
ecutive Government of the United States, in
al, tho nd tbO,, Fiac
thereof will recognize and maintain the free
dem of said persons.
And | hereby enjoin upon the people so
declared to be free, to abstain from all VIC
lence, unless in necessary se!fdefe and |
recommend to them that in eall cases, when
allowed, they labor faithfully, for rea-
sonable wages and | further declare
and make known that such persons of suitable
condition will be received in the armed service
of the United States to garrison forts, posi-
tions, stations and other places and to man
vessels Of all sorts III said service; AID upon
this act sincerely believed to be an act of JUS
tice warranted by the constitution upon militia
~ necessity, invoke the considerate judg-
ment of mankind and the gracious favor of
Almighty God.
In witness wereof have hereunto set my
hand and caused the seal of the United States
to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, tbs first
day of January in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and
Of tn Independence Of the United States Of
America the eighty-seventh.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
BY the President,
WN. II. SEWARD,
Secretary of Safe,