The Truth of the Emancipation Proclamation In the eyes of a slave, freedom was only a fairytale. Simply dreams that would never amount to anything but would be so hard to forget. Born into slavery, men and women lived hard lives with only hope that they would make it through to live another day. Most slaves died at early ages, due to hard labor and exhaustion. Over time many slaves longed for that freedom, and soon enough others would feel the same. In time President Abraham Lincoln would create the Emancipation Proclamation that would start the beginning of a new chapter in America’s history book. In time so many would be freed from all the heartache and constant pain, but only to fight every day to for it. Along with freedom slaves …show more content…
“No other single document had the power to shake the nation to its roots and threaten its future as did Lincoln's edict, which did nothing other than proclaim freedom for those persons held in slavery in states actively seeking to break away from the government of the United States.” (Girardi, 2013) The Emancipation Proclamation was created to assist President Lincoln in support of the war. It caused not only uproar of the South, but also in the North. Majority of the Northern States still agreed that slavery had existed for far too long, but all the Southern states still felt slavery was not a problem. Before the war, in the early 1800s, a law had been passed to end slave trades and now the Emancipation Proclamation would be the beginning to the abolition of slavery. This document alone was the root of the Civil War. It is the reason an estimated count of 620, 000 men gave their lives and fought countless for what they all believed in. (Faust)
Conclusion
It is important to understand the true meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation; a document created just to aid in ending the war that would cause havoc in our country in a time when America needed to stick together the most. A man’s decision to assist his ego created the beginning of a meaningful journey for all slaves. Slaves would not exactly have an easy road ahead of them, but at least a road of hope to live for was something to look forward to. It
This proclamation allowed African American Soldiers to enlist in the Northern army which gave them a huge advantage. The emancipation proclamation was issued by Lincoln in 1863, which went underneath the south's ability to keep slavery and declared that all southern slaves were now free. After this was pointed into action the union army grew to contain 10% African Americans which led to the victory of the south. One more point that Current talks about is the blockade. The blockade was enforced by the union navy which blocked the southern ports and prevented the south from getting necessary supplies.
The significance of President Lincoln’s election was that the South took it as an indication that there was to be no compromise. The Emancipation Proclamation freed no slaves, as it only freed slaves in states in rebellion. The Emancipation Proclamation was effective January 1, 1863. Lincoln intended to eliminate or restrict slavery, believed the Southern states and this was one of the causes of the American Civil
The Emancipation Proclamation stated that the Union army could free any slaves they came across in the Confederate States. Lincoln realized that he did not have the power to abolish slavery where it already existed, but he was able to seize enemy resources. Since the Confederacy was using slaves to grow food and provide labor, they were a valuable resource and the Union was allowed to free them. This Proclamation was important because for many, it changed the purpose of the war. Many now thought of the war as a fight to free the
Allen Guelzo and Vincent Harding approached Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the eventual abolition of slavery from two very different viewpoints. The major disagreement between them is whether the slaves freed themselves, or Abraham Lincoln and his Emancipation Proclamation freed them. Harding argued the former view, Guelzo took the later. When these essays are compared side by side Guelzo’s is stronger because, unlike Harding, he was able to keep his own views of American race relations out of the essay and presented an argument that was based on more than emotion. Allen Guelzo
Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation One year before the American Civil War came to an end President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Not only was the Proclamation a stepping stone for civil rights, but it was a strategic military measure. The Proclamation freed slaves in the confederate states in order to cripple the Confederacy while maintaining good relations with the boarder slave states loyal to the Union (McPherson, 557). The Proclamation was significant for Union strategy because it made it legal for blacks to enlist in the Union Forces (McPherson, 563), giving a strategic advantage to the Union to have more troops. By the end of the war blacks made up nearly 12% of Union forces, which was equivalent to the entire
Did Lincoln free the slaves, or did they free themselves? Many people would debate that Lincoln freed the slaves. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, stating all slaves in the rebellious state were free. This may have led to the slaves being freed.
Many politicians felt this was a white man’s war and slaves had no right to fight this war. Slaves were not allowed to fight, all this changed when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it declared “ That all person held as slaves within the Confederate states should be free. Although it did not end slavery in the nation it gave people hope and uplifted the moral of blacks. Fredrick Douglas convinced Abraham Lincoln that African Americans were ready to fight and serve the Union.
The Emancipation Proclamation- How it Changed the Civil War The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in some areas. Some places still held rebellion. According to History.com, “Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, which declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebel states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
By taking a clear stance against the institution of slavery, it laid the groundwork for a national narrative that prioritized equality and freedom. The proclamation exposed the hypocrisy of a nation that espoused liberty while simultaneously allowing millions of enslaved individuals to suffer. As a result, it propelled the United States towards a greater recognition of human rights, inspiring future generations to fight for social justice and
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.
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.
When the Confederacy did not yield, Lincoln put the final Emancipation Proclamation into effect. After it was put in effect with the civil war was concluded, Lincoln could not have been prouder of enacting the order. “Heralded as the savior of the Union, President Lincoln actually considered the Emancipation Proclamation to be the most important aspect of his legacy. “I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper,” he declared. “If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my
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.
But with determination Abraham Lincoln would recognize the change abolitions were making with
On September 2nd, 1862, Abraham Lincoln famously signed the Emancipation Proclamation. After that, there’s been much debate on whether Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation truly played a role in freeing the slaves with many arguments opposing or favoring this issue. In Vincent Harding’s essay, The Blood-red Ironies of God, Harding argues in his thesis that Lincoln did not help to emancipate the slaves but that rather the slaves “self-emancipated” themselves through the war. On the opposition, Allen C Guelzo ’s essay, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America, argues in favor of the Emancipation Proclamation and Guelzo acknowledges Lincoln for the abolishment of slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation.