Who Freed the Slaves

McPherson’s book on Abraham Lincoln is about his struggle as president to keep the union together. The book explained the different strategies, decisions, and speeches Lincoln used in order to keep the confederacy from seceding from the union. His timing on military strategy and national strategy helped the outcome of the revolution. McPherson also talks about the lives of African Americans after the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect. The most believed reason for the Civil War was Lincoln’s decision to abolish slavery and the emancipation. McPherson discusses how this outraged the south, where slavery was necessary for the everyday functions of their plantations. Lincoln immediately had to defend his decision and himself. “Thus

Given the before information I can conclude that Lincoln helped, but all in all the slaves freed themselves. They conducted and underground railroad (with some help but none from the government), they went back for family and friends, and they made very detailed plans to escape. If it weren’t for Harriett Tubman 300 more slaves would have resided as slaves until finally they were set free, which could have been years. Even after the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves remained in the borderline states and some Southern states. Ultimately, the slaves freed

In school we are taught that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. This statement is reinforced continuously throughout our education, beginning from the time we are in elementary school to when we are in high school. However, it’s never really expounded upon when taught. The discussion never goes further than ‘Abraham Lincoln enacted the Emancipation Proclamation and thus freed the slaves’, but is still able to instill the implication that he did so out of his own moral values and that life for ex-slaves was better for it. The truth of the matter is actually the complete opposite. The emancipation proclamation was a purely political decision that instead of truly freeing the slaves, only served to keep them bound.

Beginning in 1861, the civil war was fought over many political questions regarding slavery, yet was barely focused on the actual freedom of the slaves themselves. It is often taught that the Union fought for the freedom of slaves at the beginning of the war. However, it is more accurate to say that Abraham Lincoln’s primary goal at the beginning of the war was to reunite the Union after the majority of the slave-owning states seceded to protect their way of life: slavery. Yet, by the end of the war, the Union’s goal was to free the slaves. Though the laws securing slaves freedom and suffrage were contributed to by many, the primary driving forces behind them was the African Americans. Through their willingness to fight and support the Union cause, African Americans made the United States acknowledge their struggles and transformed the war into a fight for reconnection and freedom. Though hindered by racist people and policies, the African Americans’ participation during the war and Reconstruction greatly contributed to tremendous cultural change as well as the securing of legal rights to blacks.

The shift from a struggle to save the Union into a war to destruct slavery made the Civil War a true success. Lincoln changed the military strategies after realizing that simply seizing Southern territory would not bring the victory to the Union. He decided to defeat the South’s armies instead of seizing the capital. The Union concluded that slavery was the economic and social keystone of the Confederacy and to win the war the Union must take down the slavery institution (Give me liberty! 509). With the change of military strategies came the change of the Union policy on slavery. The Union general Daniel E. Sickles noted that Negroes were the ones who provided the Union with the most valuable and reliable information of the South’s military movements (Give me liberty! 513). Northerners claimed that emancipation would weaken the enemy’s ability to sustain the war. As a result, in 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared free more than 3 million slaves

I have here stated my purpose, according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free”. In 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation freeing slaves whom belonged to the Confederacy, he had no control over and allowing the freedom of former slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation allowed freed slaves into the United States military

The slaves running for freedom generated increased support for emancipation. The thousands of African Americans presented a problem for Lincoln because Union generals and Congress created policies that would solidify their wartime freedom and service for the Union cause.

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.

During the Civil War President Lincoln announced freeing all enslaved people in the confederate state. As this happened about 4 million people were freed and guaranteed to be treated like whites were treated. The Emancipation Proclamation didn't free any slaves in the Union states, but it was a good step to abolish slavery. Lincoln hoped that the he could win the Union side. He also hoped it would weaken the Confederacy's effort in the war. The Proclamation announced that black men can fight as a soldier in the war. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.

Abraham Lincoln did a lot to forge freedom of the slaves but his untimely death due to his assassination by John Wilkes Booth ended and halted the work that he was doing in this area. However, later there would be others in the Republican and Democratic Party to pick up the banner and move the country forward.

Many people know Abraham Lincoln as the man who helped the slaves to gain their freedom and is sometimes known as "The Great Emancipator." Abraham Lincoln engaged himself in numerous activities such as delivering important letter and speeches so that the union could be saved and played a major role in the civil war, but he is most certainly remembered as the man who gave freedom to the slaves (Foner 14). When determining whether or not he deserves the title of "The Great Emancipator" many historians face a dilemma when attempting to prove if he was or he was not. In my view, Abraham Lincoln was wise, and his efforts to free the slaves bore fruits, but I also think that he helped free the slaves with a hidden agenda of bringing the union together. The only way that seemed to be working in unifying the union was stopping slavery from spreading. Thus Abraham Lincoln is not worthy of the title "The Great Emancipator."

With this knowledge Congress passed Major General Benjamin F. Butler quick thinking into a policy, the First Confiscation Act, in August of 1861 which stated that the federal government had authority to seize any property owned by the Confederates which included slaves. By March the following year, an Article of War was produced which prohibited any military or naval services from returning run-away or fugitive slaves to their respective masters, nullifying the Fugitive Acts all together. When the Second Confiscation Act was announced in July of 1862 it “declared ‘forever free’ Confederate-owned slaves who made their way to federal lines or who resided in rebellious territory that fell to federal forces” (Luke and Smith 2014, 14). Also in the bill, was the legitimisation of the “president to utilise ‘persons of African descent’ in any way that he considered ‘necessary and proper for the suppression of the rebellion’” (Luke and Smith 2014, 14). Thus the Militia Act of July 1862, which “gave Lincoln carte blanche” (Luke and Smith 2014, 14) to make use of black resources. Although these acts were issued with the intention of blacks serving as military labour it gave way to many possibilities.

Although Tsar Alexander II and President Lincoln were both responsible for providing emancipation to slaves in their respective countries, they were both driven by their own unique motives. Alexander, under the cloak of selfless intentions, was first in declaring that the peasants working as serfs should be given the opportunity to become landholders themselves. Just two short years later, President Lincoln followed suit by issuing his own emancipation proclamation in an effort to build up a larger, more formidable opposition against the Confederate forces.

During the Civil War, Lincoln, the 16th President known for saving the Union, enraged many southern representatives when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, an executive order that freed the slaves. Although the Union won the war, the proclamation left a lingering tang in the South’s mouth; those opposed to Lincoln’s laws were threaten with reduce financial health from the federal government and higher taxation.

Many myths surround the Civil War. One of them which Abraham Lincoln himself saved all of the slaves in one fell swoop and became the everyday American Hero who stands for what he believes in. However, the truth is that while on paper the slaves of the confederacy were free, they were physically chained. It took a force of more than 2 million soldiers, a civil war and an already