The Washington Petition For Emancipation was a petition issued in 1848 by the citizens of Washington, D.C. in support of the abolition of slavery. The petition was signed by more than 10,000 people, including President James Polk, and sent to Congress, calling for the immediate emancipation of slaves in the U.S. It was the first large-scale, organized effort to free the slaves and the first of many petitions that eventually led to the passage of the 13th Amendment. There are two types of Washington Petition For Emancipation. The first was the original petition of 1848, which urged Congress to immediately end slavery. The second type of petition was issued later, in 1862, and called for the gradual emancipation of slaves, with monetary compensation for their owners. Both petitions were signed by many people and both had an impact on the eventual passage of the 13th Amendment.