On September 22, 1862 a huge development in history / society took place. The end of slavery - sad racism is still a topic these days though. President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to set all 3 million black slaves free.
Lincoln already had this plans in 1861 after his inauguration but he avoided issuing an anti-slavery proclamation immediately. The handwritten original draft of the proclamation was sadly destroyed in the Chicago Fire of 1871 but there is still the original official version of the document viewable at National Archives in Washington, D.C. - we all should never forget this and give racism no space in our society.