ESCAPE

A Decrease font size. A Reset font size. A Increase font size.

Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Visit our youtube channel Plus one us Subscribe to our RSS Feed

2015
Mar 29

FILED IN:

Emancipation Day (US)


Event Details


Emancipation Day is celebrated in many former British colonies in the Caribbean and areas of the United States on various dates in observance of the emancipation of slaves of African descent. It is also observed in other areas in regard to the abolition of serfdom or other forms of servitude. The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ended slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834, and thus also in Canada. However, the first colony in the British Empire to abolish slavery was Upper Canada, now Ontario. JohnGraves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (1791–1796), passed an Act Against Slavery in 1793, which led to the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada by 1810. It was superseded by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. Emancipation Day is widely observed in the West Indies during the first week of August. In many Caribbean countries the Emancipation Day celebration is a part of Carnival, as the Caribbean Carnival takes place at this time. (But, Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago takes place in February or March according to the movable feast of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, not near August).

Leave a Reply