This moment outdoors is brought to you by L.L. Bean, official partner of the National Park Foundation for the Find Your Park Movement. I'm going to C. You probably know a great deal about the somber history of the battle at Gettysburg. And if you don't, I'm betting you have at least heard the Gettysburg address.

The Gettysburg address was the PR phase of one of the biggest turning points in American history

when we finally decided to cut ties with slavery. And the formal document of course that Abraham Lincoln drafted to make that happen was the

Emancipation Proclamation. Now this is a document with a storied history

and that has had historians arguing for decades

about its meaning, about its purpose,

and about its effect.

On this episode of America's National Parks, a lecture from Park Ranger Dan Ramilia

at Gettysburg National Military Park, about the Emancipation Proclamation and its meaning.

This lecture enthralled me.

It's a little bit longer than most of our episodes, but I think it's worth it and I hope you'll

enjoy it as much as I did. Well, we're very glad to have everybody here.

My name is Dan Vermilia.

I'm a park ranger here.

It's very nice to be here with you again for our annual winter lecture series.

We look forward to these lectures a lot every year.

Start of our year-long interpretive program,

interpretive scheduling here.

I always enjoy getting a chance to come and talk

here at these lecture series.

And our theme for the lectures this year

is myths and controversies of the Civil War,

...