Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was the most influential part of his presidency as it expanded the goals of the Civil War and abolished slavery. The original focus of the Civil war was not to abolish slavery but to preserve the Union Army. Following the Union Army’s win at war and the abolition of slavery, black people were now allowed to join this army. Following Lincoln’s speech, the 13th amendment was put into place by making slavery illegal. It is evident that the Emancipation Proclamation was the most influential and powerful part of Lincoln’s presidency. The Civil War has taken on the title of “the bloodiest war in American history.” The country broke apart after years of growing regional differences, state versus federal
Lincoln thought freeing slaves would help him reach his goals to save the Union. Therefor, this led to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Although, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the Confederate States in America, it was the first step in the final Emancipation of all slaves. It helped the cause of the Civil War, and was close to end slavery permanently. It was the third year into the Civil War, once the form was signed, the number of group soldiers for the Civil War and navy increased. This was because what Lincoln hoped would happen did happen. Although, the liberation of slaves allowed many slaves to volunteer and to fight in the Civil War. At that point the Civil War became a war for freedom. The result of the War was positive. The Union was saved but also the War helped free slaves.
Between the Age of Exploration to the end of the Civil War, the United States of America has undergone countless events, people, and ideas in which the history of the country was forever altered. However, out of all these moments in history, the American Civil War of 1861-1865, is by far the most important event in the United States. Known as the largest and most destructive conflict in American history, the Civil War brought into question what kind of nation it would become. The importance of the Civil War can be found in the conflicts, deaths, and questions that were created by this brief event in
The American Civil War occurred between 1861 and 1865 and is largely considered the most destructive conflict in U.S. history, resulting in approximately one million military casualties and an inestimable number of civil victims. Much controversy still surrounds the nature of this conflict, as its determining causes are complex. Contemporary international perception may have placed a progressive, anti-slavery label on the whole affair, yet the basic fact remains that nineteenth century America was an increasingly inhomogeneous country and prone to blatant discrepancy.
The Emancipation Proclamation is centered on the concept of freeing the slaves; however, the proclamation did not actually free any slaves but had a greater goal of preserving the Union through European alliance. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free slaves in Union controlled lands but instead freed the slaves where the federal government had no real power. At his inauguration, Lincoln even stated that he has “no lawful right [to] interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it [already] exists.” Furthermore, Lincoln revealed, in a letter to Horace Greeley that slavery is not even a primary focus of his political agenda when he stated “my paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery.” This letter also emphasizes Lincoln’s chief interest during the American Civil War – to maintain the Union. Therefore, Lincoln himself indicated that the Emancipation Proclamation’s purpose was to preserve the Union by successfully aiding in closing the door to European intervention in the South.
When elected, President Lincoln vowed to prevent the extension of slavery. As a result, the Southerners chose secession, while Northerners believed that the collapse of Union would destroy the possibility of a democratic republican government. This resulted in the Civil War, which lead to the end of slavery in the United States. Throughout the war, there was much debate over whether or not the Civil War was about slavery or the Union. Lincoln first rejected the end of slavery as a goal of the war, but slave escapes in the South bothered Lincoln. The Union’s fate was at stake and Lincoln’s major goal of the war was to save the Union. Lincoln finally surrendered to the pressure of antislavery republicans, making the Civil War mainly about slavery, and seeing slave abolition as a way to end the rebellion and protect the Union. Abraham Lincoln created the proclamation of emancipation in July 1862, which called for an end to slavery. The proclamation was issued on September 22, basing its legal authority on his responsibility to suppress the rebellion and was signed by Lincoln on January 1, 1863. After the war, abolitionists were concerned that the Emancipation Proclamation would be forgotten about, so they pressured the congress to pass a law that would finally abominate slavery. In January 1865 the Congress approved the Thirteenth Amendment to ending slavery, and sent it to the states
Despite popular belief, Lincoln’s ultimate goal for the Civil War and its reconstruction was not focused primarily on slavery and the rights of African Americans. In fact, he was afraid that publicly announcing that slavery was the most important aspect of the Civil War, would actually push other Union States with conservative Northerners to join the Confederacy. However, Lincoln did establish the Emancipation Proclamation. Over three million slaves were freed, but this did not grant AFrican Americans citizenship. Lincoln had began to promote the idea that blacks, especially those enlisted in the army (since over 180,00 AFrican
President Lincoln believed that a person being owned by another person because of their skin color was wrong and despicable. He also wanted the slaves to be free from their owners and join the Union and fight against the Confederates. President Lincoln also wanted to stop the treatment of African Americans as property. Many people in the Union States believed it was wrong to treat slaves differently because of their color. He first used the Proclamation as a threat to make the Confederates surrender but when they refused he issued the Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Lincoln became very committed to making it happen. He believed that it was a necessity to show justice. His cabinet also wanted to wait until a Union victory so they would have no problem enforcing the
Slavery was a crucial issue on the Union 's diplomatic front with Britain. Lincoln realized that he could use emancipation as a weapon of war as the war was now primarily being fought over slavery. He also wanted to satisfy his own personal hope that everyone everywhere would eventually be free. So in June 1862, Congress passed a law prohibiting slavery in the territories. Lincoln issued the final form of his Emancipation Proclamation (Document F). It stated, “slaves within any State...shall be then, thencefoward, and forever free.” The proclamation had a powerful symbolic effect. It broadened the base of the war by turning it in to a fight for unity.
However, since the confederacy was still a part of the United States Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation hoping that the South would end their ongoing war against the federal government. The North did not agree with the Emancipation Proclamation but still joined Lincoln because they wanted the same thing Lincoln wanted which was the south to reunite with the Union. Since the confederacy did not obey the government, Lincoln put his words into action by freeing all slaves who were in the rebellious states. Issuing this document also insured that Britain and France would not join forces with the Confederate Union especially since they were against slavery. Freeing the slaves gave the union an upper hand, because they came to the north and fought against the confederacy. It was, however, illegal to have blacks fight in the army so Lincoln fought to have them employed into the army. This gave hope to all slaves who were seeking freedom and one day becoming an American
President Lincoln waited untill announcing the Emancipation Proclamation because in the middle of the civil war, this proclamation really didn't free anyone . It did accomplish two things, though. First, as Confederate states fell into Union hands, slaves living there would become free. This action by Lincoln also carried with it an open invitation for blacks to take an active role in the Civil War's outcome. More than two hundred thousand would do so by war's end.With the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln challenged Congress to draft a Constitutional amendment that granted full citizenship to all Americans. The Thirteenth Amendment would eventually come to pass in January of 1865.As can be expected, the Emancipation Proclamation was met with
Chapter 14-Question 1: Analyze how the Emancipation Proclamation was both a reaction to the changing relationship between whites and blacks, and how it continued to change that relationship. Answer: The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, was a declaration made by President Lincoln during the Civil War, which liberated colored slaves in all Confederate states (Fraser 394). While the North’s government did not hold any power to enforce its practice in the South (even though slavery still continued in the region), the declaration managed to officially liberate colored slaves and turn the war into a campaign against slavery (Fraser 394-395). In addition, the Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for recruitment of many colored
On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, issued the first, or preliminary, Emancipation Proclamation. In this document he warned that unless the states of the Confederacy returned to the Union by January 1, 1863, he would declare their slaves to be “forever free.” During the Civil War, he was fighting to save the Union and trying not to free the slaves. Lincoln was quoted to say, “I am not, nor have ever been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races.” The Emancipation Proclamation illustrated this view.
From the first days of the Civil War, slaves had acted to secure their own liberty. The Emancipation Proclamation confirmed their insistence that the war for the Union must become a war for freedom. It added moral force to the Union cause and strengthened the Union both militarily and politically.
The emancipation proclamation was an order signed by president Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War in attempt to abolish slavery in the ten rebellion states in the confederacy. The order took effect on January 1, 1863 in attempts to free more than 3.5 million slaves in the confederate area where they rebelled against the Union, and to maintain apprehended freedom between the newly freed slaves and the federal government and military. This was a turning point in the Civil war as Abraham lincoln changed the focal point of the war from secession to slavery, which the South [Jefferson Davis] didn’t want to occur, in fear of losing foreign allies, such as anti-slavery Great Britain. The North really increased their chances of
The Emancipation Proclamation. John Hope Franklin. Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson, 1963, 1965, 1995. 155 pp.