jul 17, 1862 - Signs Second Confiscation Act (12 Stat 589) declaring that slaves owned by anyone participating in rebellion will be made free; seeks to seize property of Confederate leaders; specifies that escaped slaves are to be set free; allows the President to “employ as many persons of African descent as he may deem necessary and proper for the suppression of this rebellion.”
Added to timeline:
Date:
jul 17, 1862
Now
~ 164 years ago