The Emancipation Proclamation freed only enslaved people living in Confederate states. Many enslaved southerners first learned they were free from Union soldiers carrying copies of the decree. A miniature booklet was produced so Union soldiers could read the proclamation aloud on plantations and in cities across the South. Smithsonian Secretary and NMAAHC Founding Director Lonnie G. Bunch III explores this object in our Slavery and Freedom gallery. | Smithsonian's National Museum of African Amer