Impact Of The Emancipation Proclamation

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln, who was also in favor of ending slavery, was elected President. This angered the Southern States and in February 1861, these Southern States withdrew from the Union. The Southern States wanted to continue to have slaves, and to keep their state and political rights for all white people.

The Emancipation Proclamation helped the Union’s cause because it encouraged African Americans to fight to obtain and maintain their freedom. Once the free and slave men were allowed to participate in the war against the Confederacy it gave the Union the additional power and the ability to win the war

When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, it was used as a tactical move against the south to stop them from rebelling or their slaves would be emancipated. It was an effort to end the war rather than having it continue, northern states set out to fight the slave states in 1861, not to end slavery, but retain the enormous national territory, market, and resources because it was an economic expansion for free land, free labor, free market, a high protective tariff for manufacturers, and a bank of the United States. The northern states wouldn’t accept the end of slavery, it would end slavery under conditions controlled by whites and only when required by political and economic needs. When Lincoln was elected, eleven southern

Southern states began to withdraw from the union, even though Lincoln was personally opposed to slavery the process of separation had begun and a war was inevitable. During his presidency he issued The Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Freeing all slaves living in area that are in rebellion. Which mean Union Army officers did not have to report runaway slaves because newly captured slaves were considered free; but not until after the Union won the war and the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was declared ratified on December 1865 which officially freed and ended slavery in the United

The Emancipation Proclamation was a document that had freed states in the Confederate States. While some people had thought that the issuing of the Proclamation wsa the best idea Lincoln could have came up with in order to begin abolishing slavery. Meanwhile some people thought that the idea was completely terrible and unworthy of attention. As the war progressed further, Lincoln quickly realized that slavery was a noteworthy aspect of the war effort from the Confederacy, and his main goal quickly became to use the slaves to fight alongside the Union. His belief at the time was that any source or thing that could even potentially help the Union was a plan that needed to be put into action as soon as possible. Not to mention, the North would

The Civil war was one of the bloodiest in human history up to that time. In September 1862, Lincoln issues his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, it was a military move, giving the south four months to stop rebelling, threatening to emancipate their slaves if they continued to fight, promising to leave slavery untouched in states that came over to the North. By the beginning of 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and it declared slaves free in those areas still fighting against the union. The more blacks that were free joined the war and

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.

As a Republican President, Abraham Lincoln opposed slavery. He believed it was unnecessary to everyone-including Negros and Whites. However, with his stand on slavery, he held back by declaring that he had no reason to disrupt slavery where it existed. The constitution had protected states where citizens wanted slavery to exist. Lincoln knew he would not get enough support and that the four slave-holding states in the North would turn against him. As a result, the Civil War began in 1861 with more of a political purpose in keeping the union together rather than a battle for human freedom. Slaveholders could not turn to the Union’s side because slaves were valuable and played a vital role to

As Mr. Douglass stated in the October 1862 issue of his newspaper, “The effect of this paper...changes the character of the war in European eyes and gives it an important principle...instead of national pride and interest” (Dudley 167). This quote shows that the Emancipation Proclamation would open the eyes of European nations and show them that the Union and Confederacy are not fighting because they had a simple disagreement and are being petty, but rather that they are passionately fighting for what they each believe to be righteous. Changing the views of a foreign nation is not something that could be done with a “worthless act” that people like Mr. Vallandigham believed the Emancipation Proclamation to be. Another statement made by Mr. Douglass goes to show how the Proclamation would have affected the war greatly. As Mr. Douglass states, “It will disarm all purpose on the part of European Government to intervene in favor of the rebels and thus cast off... one source of rebel power” (Dudley 167). Mr. Vallandigham then states in his speech however that “Of what possible avail was his proclamation of September? Did the South submit? Was she even alarmed?” (Dudley 169). One should see that Mr. Douglass’ statement disproves Mr. Vallandigham’s because the South would indeed be alarmed by the Proclamation due to its

The Emancipation Proclamation was a pivotal document in the American Civil War, but not for the reason a lot of Americans think. Crafted by 16th president, Abraham Lincoln and issued on January 1, 1863, The Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves ("The Emancipation Proclamation"). Rather it did not free any slaves in the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation stated all slaves in the rebellious states "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free" ("The Emancipation Proclamation"). The most important phrase in this quote word being "rebellious states," this phrase means that the only slaves being "freed" were the ones who currently lived in the place where the people did not consider

The fear of insurrection had a strong influence on the methods by which the Confederacy attempted to legislate against the possibility of slave insurrection. To begin, the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862 had the effect of forcing the Confederate government into hastily passing a widely unfavorable act. Through the point of view of Confederate Officials, they believed that the Emancipation Proclamation was purposely created to incite slave insurrections (283). The unfavorable act, The Conscription Act, was class biased and favored the upper class slaveholders (284).

Therefore , handicaping the effectiveness of the Confederate war effort. However, Lincoln needed to demonstate that the Union government is capable to impose the Proclamation and protect the freed slaves. On Spetember 22, 1862 , the priliminary Emancipation Proclamation was issued, this introductory proclamation took effect three months later on January 1, 1863. (ibid)

During his election campaign and throughout the early years of the Civil War, Lincoln vehemently denied the rumour that he would mount an attack on slavery. At the outbreak of fighting, he pledged to 'restore the Union, but accept slavery where it existed ', with Congress supporting his position via the Crittendon-Johnson Resolutions. However, during 1862 Lincoln was persuaded for a number of reasons that Negro emancipation as a war measure was both essential and sound. Public opinion seemed to be going that way, Negro slaves were helping the Southern war effort, and a string of defeats had left Northern morale low. A new moral boost to the cause might give weary Union soldiers added impetus in the fight. Furthermore, if the Union fought against slavery, Britain and France could not help the other side, since their 'peculiar institution ' was largely abhorred in both European nations. Having eased the American public into the idea, through speeches that hinted at emancipation, Lincoln finally signed the Proclamation on January 1st 1863, releasing all slaves behind rebel lines. Critics argued that the proclamation went little further than the Second Confiscation Act and it conveniently failed to release prisoners behind Union lines. Nevertheless, Henry Adams summed up public reaction to the Proclamation as an 'almost convulsive reaction in our favour '.

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.

Although there were more than four million slaves living in the U.S. at this time, the Emancipation Proclamation did not formally free a single one of them. So that presents us with a couple of very interesting questions: first, why did Lincoln issue the proclamation if it had no practical effect? Second, why is the Emancipation Proclamation considered Lincoln's most important legacy if it didn't actually free anyone?