Emancipation Memorial in Boston and Washington

The first Emancipation Memorial, also known as the Freedmen’s Memorial, was erected in Washington, D.C., in 1876. Funded by formerly enslaved persons, the statue celebrates President Abraham Lincoln. During the American Civil War, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, offering limited freedom to enslaved people. Shortly after the creation of the Emancipation Memorial in Washington, a copy, known as the Emancipation Group, was installed in Boston, Massachusetts. Despite the memorials’ nod to emancipation, they have attracted historical and recent controversy for the positioning of the figures, mainly the sculpted enslaved person kneeling at Lincoln’s feet, and praise of Lincoln. In 2020, the City of Boston removed the Emancipation Group, and though the Freedmen’s Memorial in Washington garnered similar controversy, as of 2022, it remains in its original place. This case study examines the power of iconography and the impact of federal and municipal governments on decision-making regarding monuments within their jurisdiction.