By John Meko, President
In commemoration of Juneteenth, Founding Forward highlights the most historic painting, in its collection, Edward Marchant’s painting of Abraham Lincoln as he signs the Emancipation Proclamation- a historic document that started the process of emancipating slaves.
Founding Forwarding traces its own founding to the American Civil War and The Union League of Philadelphia which was founded on December 27, 1862. The League’s purpose was to support Abraham Lincoln and his policies and abolition. It quickly became the most important civic institution of the North, raising troops, supporting sick and wounded soldiers, and creating a patriotic movement throughout the North.
On January 1, 1863, just four days after the League’s founding, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves being held in the Confederacy, not in Union control. While the Proclamation did not end slavery in the United States, it made clear that Union victory in the Civil War would mean the end of slavery in the United States. However, it took two and a half years to get there. It was not until June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, that the last slaves learned of their freedom – and thus today the Juneteenth holiday is celebrated.
The proclamation was a controversial Presidential Executive Order and was a hotly debated issue throughout the nation. The Union League, however made its position on slavery and emancipation immediately clear, when it commissioned artist Edward Marchant to paint Lincoln. The resulting work, which shows Lincoln having just signed the Proclamation, would become the most important painting in the League’s collection, and the resulting copies and prints made were a powerful statement about the new purpose of the war — emancipation.
The painting hung briefly in Independence Hall during the Civil War is now on display at the League House in Philadelphia as a constant reminder of the core purpose of the founding of the League and all that developed from that moment.
Founding Forward is the nonprofit charity of The Union League of Philadelphia. Founding Forward informs and engages citizens through transformational educational experiences grounded in American history. These experiences enable students, teachers, and citizens to understand, appreciate, and practice the principles, rights, and responsibilities of American citizenship.