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Emancipation Proclamation Research Paper

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The Long-Lasting Effects of the Emancipation Proclamation
The Civil War was one of the most blood-stained conflicts in American history (Hale 2016). Although there are many reasons as to why this war began, it remains one of the key battles that would bring about major changes to the landscape of the country forever. One of the most substantial events that brought forth revolution of the nation was the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Although a preliminary Proclamation was issued on September 22, 1862 to persuade the South to stop the rebellion, President Lincoln didn’t issue the actual Emancipation Proclamation until January 1, 1863 (“10 Facts”). This was done to attenuate the Confederacy, unbeknownst that it would one day influence …show more content…

The Proclamation only freed slaves in the South that were actively rebelling against the nation; it had nothing to do with slavery in the North. Throughout the duration of the war, slavery was still very much alive and lasted until many years after the war ended. Even though President Lincoln disagreed with slavery and thought it was wrong, he never really had any interest in abolishing slavery throughout the nation. The Proclamation freed slaves in the South, except there was only one problem; they were already at war with the South. The Confederacy didn’t honor President Lincoln’s orders to free the slaves. On paper they were free, but in the minds of those fighting to preserve their right to own slaves, they were still property (Hale 2016). Most abolitionists weren’t necessarily satisfied with the terms of the Proclamation as a document because it didn’t free them to level of freedom they supported. They knew that the Proclamation wouldn’t be complied with because there were still slaves in the states. Why would the south comply (Hale 2016)? The document did, however, provide somewhat of a refuge for those slaves who could retreat to Union lines of battle (“Emancipation Proclamation”). The proclamation did “help” free slaves because it protected those who could get to the Union’s side of the battlefield without being forced to be returned. Slaves in …show more content…

England was a nation that made trades with both the North and South prior to the beginning of the Civil War. After the war began, the dilemma was that both sides of the Union and Confederacy both expected the British to support them in their war efforts. England, however, could use the Civil War to its benefit now that the Country was at war. With the United States being basically two separate entities, they posed no threat to their dominance in the world. England did, however, somewhat feel more supportive of the south and leaned more towards their alliance in the war efforts. Even France was ready to intervene and help, but not without the support of England moving in first. General Lee really believed that Europeans would assist them and threatened the Union to that regard (Jones 2016). What was smart about President Lincoln’s Proclamation was that changing the war from uniting the nation to fighting for slavery is that it ultimately made the Europeans want no part in the war. England was a nation that had already outlawed and made slavery illegal. It would be hypocritical for England to support the South because they couldn’t get behind a movement that attempted to fight to keep slavery alive (Jones 2016). Another power move by Lincoln ensured that the fight stay between two parties. It was a foreign policy maneuver that eliminated the threat posed by General Robert E. Lee. The

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