Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
The Maundy Morning Newsletter - This Week in History January 1- 8.
Happy New Year, friends! Thank you for supporting Okay History.
I hope 2022 was a fantastic year. It’s a year I’ll never forget, and I have some fun plans for 2023 that I’ll hope you will enjoy, but more on that next month when OKH celebrates its anniversary on President’s Day.
We kicked off 1863 with a bang when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This executive order changed the status of enslaved people in the Confederacy, making them free.
Lincoln began shaping this radical policy back in September 1862, signaling to everyone that once the calendar changed, all enslaved people would be instantly snapped into freedom. So no one should be surprised that he delivered when January 1 rolled in.
How badass was this move? In his mind, the Confederacy was still a part of the United States, and he told those rebellious states that he was still in charge. Of course, you must win the war to implement it entirely, but we took care of that two years after the Proclamation was made.
Emancipation Day is celebrated here in Washington, DC, on April 16. Back in 1862, the District abolished slavery and repaid those who had owned enslaved people legally. I think we have a parade. I still have to work, though. You should never have to work when the place you live is throwing a parade for something.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. Here's what I got:
President Calvin Coolidge died on January 5, 1933. The 30th president, who signed the act to give all Indigenous people US citizenship, died in Massachusetts from a heart attack. He was 60.
Radical Conservatives stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. President Trump spent most of the 2020 election cycle telling everyone it was rigged for him to lose. When the moment to officially declare him the loser, he whipped up his followers and led an insurrection. I wrote more about it on the first anniversary.
President Truman announced that the United States had developed the Hydrogen Bomb on January 7, 1953. In his last address to the nation, the 33rd president dropped a bomb that we developed a bigger bomb than the one we literally dropped in Japan during World War II.
The week between Christmas and New Year was refreshing and recharging for me. I finally completed my application for Irish citizenship. It was a three-year adventure, and I’m confident I screwed something up, which will delay it further.
This week in history also featured an important event that few know about. On January 7, 1976, yours truly was born. It would be known as the Day of Perfection, and over the years, I have befriended numerous people who share this same birthday, confirming its commendation. It is a special day for all those who celebrate.
I’m still a few weeks away from delivering a newsletter on Friday, so I’ll see you here next Monday. In the meantime, feel free to send me happy birthday emails. Have a great week!
Okay,
Chris