On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This called upon the Union Army to free all the slaves still held in captivity. The Emancipation Proclamation declared that all the slaves were to be forever free from that moment on. This helped changed the civil war from a war against succession to a war for freedom.
On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signed a special proclamation that turned the territory of Alaska into the 49th and largest state. America first purchased Alaska as a territory in 1867. Most Americans believed it was a foolish purchase. But when gold was discovered there in 1898, more people moved to the cold state. Alaska is now rich with many natural resources.
On January 4, 1809, Louis Braille was born. He developed a system of reading and writing, called Braille, that could be used by the blind. Braille is a series of raised dots. Each combination of dots stands for a letter or symbol. Blind people can then read by running their fingers over the dots. The system was not widely recognized or used until after Braille’s death.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signed a special proclamation that turned the territory of Alaska into the 49th and largest state. America first purchased Alaska as a territory in 1867. Most Americans believed it was a foolish purchase. But when gold was discovered there in 1898, more people moved to the cold state. Alaska is now rich with many natural resources.
On January 4, 1809, Louis Braille was born. He developed a system of reading and writing, called Braille, that could be used by the blind. Braille is a series of raised dots. Each combination of dots stands for a letter or symbol. Blind people can then read by running their fingers over the dots. The system was not widely recognized or used until after Braille’s death.