Russia's Serfs Were Freed Before Lincoln Freed the Slaves
Czar Alexander II freed the serfs on January 28, 1861, 21 months before President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves. By eerie coincidence both were assassinated by radicals.
 
You can see the Church on the Spilled Blood, where an assassin's bomb killed the liberator of the serfs, in many of the tours in St. Petersburg. See “Destinations” for more information.
 
You can see the text of both documents of freedom at the following web sites:

Czar Alexander's Address to the Russian State Council:
http://www.libertystory.net/LSDOCLIBERATINGRUSSIANSERFS.htm

President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation:
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/24.htm

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St. Petersburg, Florida is named after St. Petersburg, Russia