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The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, ordered that enslaved people living in rebellious territories be released from the bonds of ownership and made free people—their own masters. Though the proclamation's initial impact was limited, the order was true to the etymology of emancipation, which comes from a Latin word combining the prefix e-, meaning "away," and mancipare, meaning "to transfer ownership of.”
Examples of emancipation in a Sentence
a book discussing the role that the emancipation of slaves played in the nation's history
Recent Examples on the Web
This is a very important point for Lila, because the emancipation of women plays a pivotal role in Elena Ferrante’s books.
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Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
After emancipation from slavery, freed people had no right nor access to land.
—Farah Nibbs, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2024
More recently, however, historians discovered that, while the South fell behind the North economically immediately following emancipation, many elite slaveholders recovered financially within one or two generations.
—Ashwini Sehgal, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024
Her work frequently addresses themes close to her heart, such as emancipation and the female condition.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 23 Sep. 2024
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Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024
After emancipation from slavery, freed people had no right nor access to land.
—Farah Nibbs, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2024
More recently, however, historians discovered that, while the South fell behind the North economically immediately following emancipation, many elite slaveholders recovered financially within one or two generations.
—Ashwini Sehgal, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2024
Her work frequently addresses themes close to her heart, such as emancipation and the female condition.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 23 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for emancipation
Dictionary Entries Near emancipation
Cite this Entry
“Emancipation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emancipation. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
emancipation
noun
eman·ci·pa·tion
i-ˌman(t)-sə-ˈpā-shən 
: gradual separation of an original homogeneous embryo into fields with different specific potentialities for development
Legal Definition
emancipation
noun
eman·ci·pa·tion
i-ˌman-sə-ˈpā-shən
: the act or process of emancipating
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