The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The first one, issued September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, named the specific states where it applied.

The five-page document, considered a linchpin in post-Civil War reunification, is headed to the Reagan Library next month, part of "Forever Free," a look at slavery and the Civil War that includes a small collection of items associated with Abraham Lincoln. Details from the Ventura County Star:

"We don't just tell the story of one man here; we tell the story of American history and the presidency, and the Reagan Library is honored to share this piece of American history," said Joanne Drake, chief of staff for the Reagan Foundation.

The exhibit will include letters and manuscripts written by Lincoln, including a California Emancipation Proclamation ' printed in California in 1864 and signed by President Lincoln for commemorative purposes ' one of only three known to exist, said Rob Zucca, an exhibit specialist at the Reagan Library.

The document in which Abraham Lincoln declared enslaved Africans 'forever free,' at the height of the Civil War, is the centerpiece of the new exhibit. It's one of three signed copies known to exist. - View comments...

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