Definition Essay: The War Of Freedom

“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.”

The years of 1763-1765 were truly defining moments for colonist of the colonies, soon to become the United States of America. ‘’War! War! This is the only way!” American Colonist shouted,as they took to the streets proclaiming defiance of British rule. “We as a people shall fight for our freedom and have victory.No more shall we continue to let others control our countries and give our money to a monarch who has no concern for our right’s, dedication that was put forth to help fight and respect us as loyal subjects.We must fight for our freedom!” When American colonist waged war it proved to be the only way for the colonies to become free from Britian. In turn, the colonist were justified in breaking away from England because of: The

An American essayist, H.L. Mencken stated, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants be safe”. I disagree with this statement because an “average man” wants to live. In order to live you must have two necessities; freedom and safety. I believe neither is more important than one another because being free gives you the opportunity to a safe nation, and a safe nation allows you to be free. You cannot live a life without exploring and growing because that would not be considered living. On the other hand, you cannot expect to be free without safety around you.

Throughout history freedom has had many different meanings and definitions; based on race, gender, and ethnicity. According to the dictionary freedom means the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint (“freedom” def. 1). Freedom may seem like something given to everyone however it was something workers had to fight for. Not everyone believed that workers’ rights needed to be changed, which led to a long battle between workers, employers and the government. To the working class people freedom meant making higher wages, having regulated hours, workable conditions and the right to free speech.

So many courageous people fought for some kind of freedom. For example, in 1775, colonists during the American Revolution fought for their independence from Great Britain, and in 1865, slaves had to fight for their freedom too. These freedoms could be something as simple as being able to go to a friend's house, or it could be as serious as same-sex marriage. No matter how big or small the issue is, freedom must be repeatedly won by each generation.

A common theme emerged for the African American people; the government may say that everyone is in this fight together but we, as African Americans, now this is not true. From the segregated military to the non-willing acceptance of African American workers in wartime factories the African American people felt that they fought a two-sided war. This two-sided approach to war took a name for itself, The Double V Campaign. African Americans joined the fight for freedom just like all other Americans, but many thought this to be the time and place to advocate for civil right,

The Emancipation Proclamation proclaimed the freedom of slaves. It was issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 but was it issued for the right reasons? The 1860’s were a difficult time for the United States of America. The Civil War divided the country into the South and the North. Slavery was a big issue that caused the Civil War.

The book, The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views by Harold Holzer, Edna Greene Medford, and Frank J. Williams, reviews the Emancipation Proclamation that came into effect on January 1st, 1863 from three perspectives. Harold Holzer views the proclamation through images, and posters created before and after it was issued, while Edna Greene Medford analysis the African American view of the it. Frank J. Williams looks at the Emancipation Proclamation from a legal standpoint. These three views contribute to the understanding of concepts covered in Chapter 15: The Civil War, in the Major Problems in American History, Volume 1: To 1877 involving positive and negative views of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the involvement

During the pinnacle of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln’s influential Emancipation Proclamation declared that “By virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free” (Miller). The Emancipation Proclamation was a necessary war measure that deemed slaves residing in areas of rebellion free, however, complete freedom was not promised to the enslaved. This document signified an important turning point during the ongoing Civil War, for it left the Confederacy at a severe disadvantage. Lincoln knew that the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation would be a morally and tactically correct path in the United States’ exhaustive battle against the Confederacy. Union leaders needed something to help revive their campaign of preserving the Union, the main purpose of the Civil War, in addition to eventually eradicating the controversial practice of slavery (Trefousse).

When the Confederacy did not stop, Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. The proclamation declared, "That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.” (Lincoln, 1863)

On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The Proclamation declared that all persons held as slaves within the rebellion states are and hence forward shall be free. In this paper I will specify how civil right and domestic policy correspond. The Emancipation Proclamation was a result of the 4 year civil war that was started by numerous unfair and brutal treatment to what was considered labor workers. Though all were not African American personnel that was bought and sold, all were freed when this policy was enforced.

"Two months after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, one abolitionist wrote that 'to make the proclamation a success, we must make freedom a blessing to the freed.' The question of how to do so would long outlive Lincoln and the Civil War" (Epilogue, p. 361).

The American Ideological Consensus is that “…the American people have shared much of the same ideals, the same basic principles, and the same patterns of belief” (McClenaghan 104). When America filled itself with ideologically homogenous people, their beliefs started to define our nation and became American identities. If asked what they think of America, peoples of other nations would say that the roads are made of glass, opportunity is in the air, and civil rights are plentiful. These accounts maybe accentuated; however, the underlying message is that the American people have more freedoms then the peoples of other nations do. The most widely known American identity is freedom, and even though that American identity has been tried and

Today we accept that freedom is a basic right human right but what exactly is freedom. 1On one hand, there is physical freedom. People who are not imprisoned or enslaved are free. On the other hand, there is freedom as a the right to act, speak or think what you want. People cannot reach their full potential if they are not free in both senses of the word.

of us fail to cherish and value our granted freedom. Many of us do not