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Emancipation Proclamation Was A Turning Point Essay

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The institution of slavery was a vital part of the growth, economy, and politics in the United States from the early colonial era to the climax of the Civil War. The end of slavery came in a tide of reform resulting in the liberation of over four million slaves. The confluence of the political developments in 1861 and the changing ideological currents brought on by the Civil War impacted the United States for many years to come and brought slavery to an end.
On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. He was the first Republican candidate to win the presidency with only forty percent of the popular vote. He won the election at a time when the United States was divided by secession and war. His challenges started shortly after his inauguration when seven southern slave states succeeded from the Union. They elected Jefferson Davis as their president formally establishing the Confederate States of America. Since slavery within the states was protected by the Constitution, those that were against slavery concentrated on keeping it out of the territories. The southern states argued that it was their constitutional right to carry slaves into the territories. …show more content…

The Proclamation was a turning point in the Civil War because it changed the focus of the war from preserving the Union to fighting for human freedom from slavery. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Even though the wording of the Emancipation Proclamation was extensive, it was still limited in some areas. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, with slavery remaining in the Border States. It also excluded parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Essentially, the freedom for slaves was dependent on the Union military being victorious in their

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