President Abraham Lincoln began considering emancipation for slaves in states that were in rebellion, which would exempt border states that remained in the Union, like Kentucky. This would be the first step on the road to abolition while keeping the border states loyal to the Union.
But he had a problem. The war was not going well for the Union. In July 1861, the South achieved a surprising and decisive victory at Bull Run, the first major engagement of the war. The Union lost again at Ball’s Bluff in October. The losses continued into 1862. In a series of battles over seven days in June, Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee defeated Union forces under Major General George McClellan.
Lincoln thought that declaring emancipation after a string of defeats would look like desperation. He needed a victory. On this date in 1862, Lee and McClellan met again at the Battle of Antietam, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle ended in a stalemate, with neither side achieving a decisive victory. But McClellan halted Lee’s advance into the North, and that was close enough for Lincoln. On January 1, 1863, he announced that all persons held as slaves in the rebellious areas “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
The Emancipation Proclamation meshed with another Lincoln achievement to attract former slaves to Dakota Territory. The Homestead Act was for anyone brave enough, strong enough, and determined enough to claim 160 acres on the Great Plains and spend five years living on it, building a home, and improving the land. The two executive actions combined to attract formerly enslaved people who sought freedom and dignity.
Norvel Blair founded a vibrant community known as the Sully County Colored Colony. It was located in Dakota Territory, in what is now South Dakota. Norvel brought some prize horses with him. He became a noted authority on breeding racehorses. He said, “Racing horses is a fine sport for any man, as it teaches him how to be a good winner and a good loser, and if you can’t be both, you should never race horses.”
Within fifty years, there were about 200 pioneers in the Blair Colony, most of them, like Norvel, leaving slavery behind and finding a haven in Dakota Territory where they could breathe free.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Homestead.org. “The Blair Colony: Freed Slaves Homesteading in the Dakota Territory.” https://www.homestead.org/homesteading-history/norvel-blair-colony-freed-slaves-homesteading/Accessed 8/27/2026.
- Library of Congress. “Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation.” https://www.loc.gov/collections/abraham-lincoln-papers/articles-and-essays/abraham-lincoln-and-emancipation/Acceessed 8/27/2026.
- National Archives. “Emancipation Proclamation (1863). https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/emancipation-proclamationAccessed 8/27/2026.
