Michael Johns Mrs. DeRiggi US History 1 Honors 24 April 2015 The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation was forced on January 1, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. It was one of the most important documents of American history. The document stated that slaves residing in Confederate territory and not under Union army occupation were free. The Emancipation Proclamation changed the way of Civil War by connecting the Union cause to fight, with the liberation of slaves. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky. His family was poor and his father, Thomas Lincoln, had no education. In 1818, Abraham Lincoln’s mom had died by drinking poisoned milk from a cow. A year later, Lincoln’s father …show more content…
It also did not apply to the slaves within the border states. Although the Union slaves were not free, they were able to become soldiers and sailors. Lincoln made sure all Union commanders would help in forming black units to fight in battle. This gave the slaves an actual chance to fight for their freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation also represented a change in the focus for the war efforts. By the time it was put it into act, Lincoln believed that the Civil War could not be won without freeing the slaves. By giving the slaves a position in the army or navy, Lincoln gave them an opportunity to fight for their own freedom and country. Besides giving the Union more power, enrolling slave soldiers showed that, they would receive full citizenship rights by their service in the army fighting against the Confederates. Besides shifting the focus of the war, the Emancipation Proclamation had a significant effect on the course of the war. First, it changed the Civil War to just needing to save the Union, to abolish slavery as well. Furthermore, It shifted the momentum, giving the Union slaves to fight and the desire to win. Also, the proclamation did not effect areas already under Union control, but any land acquired after January 1, 1863 by the …show more content…
There were many casualties because of the Civil War and the thousands of deaths from the Union weakened the North drastically. The Emancipation Proclamation gave the Civil War a huge moral advantage for the Northern states. Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not free every slave, it led to their liberation. Eventually with Lincoln’s strong support, the Thirteenth Amendment was passed. This Amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States for good. Works Cited Altman, Susan. "Emancipation Proclamation." Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage. New York: Facts On File, 2000. American History Online. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. Behrend, Justin J. "Emancipation." Encyclopedia of American History, Vol. 5, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, 2009. American History Online. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. Waugh, Joan. "Lincoln, Abraham." Encyclopedia of American History, Vol. 5, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, 2009. American History Online. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. Wilson, Richard L. "Lincoln, Abraham." American Political Leaders. New York: Facts On File, 2002. American History Online. Web. 23 Apr.
The civil war became a different war as the gleaming sun set over the bloody fields of Antietam. After the union had partially won the battle, Abraham Lincoln changed the war as he wrote one of the most controversial, and most crucial documents in American history: the Emancipation Proclamation (Dudley 166). Mr. Lincoln’s preliminary proclamation declared that on January 1, 1863, all slaves remaining in areas of the South “in rebellion would be declared then, thenceforward, and forever free” (Dudley 167). The Emancipation Proclamation paved the way to the abolition of slavery, and is by far one of the most important accomplishments made in history.
Applying to only states in rebellion instead of the entire Union, the proclamation only had effect over the areas it couldn’t control. President Lincoln issued the proclamation as a tactic against the south trying to gain support from the
While the Emancipation Proclamation did not have much of an actual effect, it stood for a deep symbolic importance. The war's moral purpose changed as it went to fighting for the freedom of slaves, due to the Proclamation. Freed blacks supported the Proclamation because they could now join the Union army to fight and help put a end to slavery which benefited Lincoln. The Democrats argued that it would cause the war to be much more worst and last longer because it would anger the South. Although Union soldiers did not have much concern for African Americans or abolitionists, they also supported the Proclamation since they believed it was the way to reunite the nation.
1. The Emancipation Proclamation On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln enforced a new order, the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves behind the Confederate lines. It only applied to the Southern states that were rebelling and not the states that were already occupied by the Union. It allowed free slaves to fight in the Civil War and now the Union had another reason to fight; to give freedom to the slaves.
Works Cited "Abraham Lincoln Biography." Http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540#related-video-gallery. Ed. Biography.com Editors. A&E Television Networks, n/a. Web.
Emancipation Proclamation, was formed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, the reason for forming this was to free all slaves that existed in the rebellious states. The Proclamation freed about 3.1 million slaves of the nation's 4 million slaves. Abraham felt that slavery was unjust, however he didn’t see Africans as part of the American society but instead as aliens. The states of America all didn’t feel the same about slavery the world was divide some people believed that slavery was unjust and cruel however the other half felt that this was okay because of the bible and this was just a way of free labor. This was the reason that Abraham Lincoln couldn’t do much about slavery because of the way the Constitution works.
As Lincoln had hoped, the Proclamation turned foreign perspective in favor of the Union by gaining the support of anti-slavery countries. The last contribution the supposed emancipation of slaves made to the North was that the slaves in the North were in fact not emancipated at all. The crucial wording of the proclamation indicated that only slaves residing in rebellious states would be freed from that day forth. Slaveholding border states such as Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and Delaware were exempted from surrendering their human property. These slaves, who were living on the “good” side of the U.S., would be required to wait until April 8, 1864, the passing of the 13th Amendment.
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million black slaves in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery. The proclamation also called for the recruitment and establishment of black military units among the Union forces. The proclamation was a presidential order and not a law passed by Congress, so Lincoln then pushed for an antislavery amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ensure its
The Emancipation Proclamation changed the main goal of the Civil War. While slavery had been a major issue, Lincoln had only one mission at the start of the war and it was to maintain the Union. “Abolitionist elements in the Union north were very vocal about the need to vanquish slavery, but the everyday people of the northern side initially didn’t have very strong feelings of support”. The Emancipation Proclamation allowed the slaves to serve in the Union Army.
Jakhari Richardson Professor Parten U.S. A Comprehensive Survey May 2023 The Emancipation Proclamation: A Pivotal Turning Point in American History Throughout the course, we have explored numerous historical events that have had a profound impact on the United States. However, one turning point stands out as the most important in American history—the Emancipation Proclamation.
Michael, you are right when you state the purpose of the document was to stop the South from successfully seceding. Lincoln knew that if the Union was going to when the war the Union needed to get more supporters, especially soldiers. The Emancipation Proclamation did exactly that. The African Americans were exhilarated to be free; therefore, they were willing to fight for the Union cause. Although the document was not very effective, the Emancipation Proclamation did start the wheels to turn towards abolishing slavery.
Emancipation Proclamation DBQ Essay By: Sofia Fornaca When I was little, I’ll have to admit that I knew absolutely nothing about the Emancipation Proclamation, and just the Civil War in general. I thought the Civil War was just “another war,” and I can’t help but feel ignorant for not educating myself further. I didn’t seem to realize that it was a pretty brutal battle. The North wanted to abolish slavery, agitating the South.
In order to win the war decisively, Abraham Lincoln had almost no choice but to enlist the aid of (previously banned) African American soldiers, and they could only do so by offering blacks their freedom. This was the origin of the Emancipation proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation, said Alan, was actually a black enlistment proclamation. It didn’t free any slaves at all because the only slaves it liberated were under the jurisdiction of southern plantation owners who had no respect for the Union law anyways.
The Emancipation Proclamation also ordered that suitable people among those freed could now be enrolled into paid service of United States ' forces, and ordered the Union Army to "recognize and maintain the freedom of" the former slaves. The Proclamation did not compensate the owners in any way, did not make slavery illegal and did not grant any citizenship to the former slaves. It only made the eradication of slavery an explicit war goal as an addition to the goal of reuniting the Union. Around 20,000 to 50,000 slaves in the southern regions where the rebellion already had been subdued were immediately emancipated. The proclamation could not be enforced in the areas still under rebellion, but when the Union Army took control of Confederate regions, The Proclamation provided the legal support framework for freeing about more than 3 million slaves in those southern regions.
Somebody once remarked, “No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent” (“Abraham Lincoln Quotes"). At the initial view, the Civil War was going to be won by the South. Nonetheless, all that changed when Abraham Lincoln constructed the Emancipation Proclamation because it did not solely free slaves, it further altered antiquity for the salutary and assisted the North in the war, which led to their triumph. The Emancipation Proclamation was Abraham Lincoln’s greatest achievement as president.