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? Washington D.C., summer 1862. The Civil War had been going on for over a year, and it was not going well for Abraham Lincoln. 11 of the 15 southern states where slavery was legal had formed the Confederate States of America (CSA) and were waging a war to break free from the United States. Lincoln was determined that the nation was not going to fall apart on his watch. During the first year of the civil war, the Confederate Army had won the majority of important battles. When Lincoln became president, he had had no intention of abolishing slavery. Though he personally despised slavery and had won the presidency on an anti-slavery platform, he would gladly have given up any chance of ending slavery in the South if it meant that the Confederate states would rejoin the United States. With no hope of bringing the South back into the United States by protecting slavery, Lincoln had a new dilemma. His own political party, the Republicans, had formed around their opposition to slavery. Many of the more radical politicians in the party saw the secession of the South as the best opportunity to abolish slavery once and for all. As the US war dead piled up, more and more Northerners began to push Lincoln to punish the states that had seceded by making abolition a major goal of the war. The problem with abolishing slavery, however, was that there were still four slave states that had not seceded from the United States: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware. Lincoln feared that if he advocated emancipation he would provoke those states into joining the Confederacy, making the war even more difficult to win. Of the border states, Maryland was particularly worrisome, because the US capital at Washington D.C. sat on its border with Virginia. If Maryland decided to join the Confederacy, Washington D.C.
The final cause leading to the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln’s election. Lincoln in truth fought for and against slavery depending on the situation. However, Southerners strongly believed Lincoln was anti-slavery. So before Lincoln even entered the office seven states had already seceded. These states included the following: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Lincoln was moderate towards slavery at first, but many congressmen agreed that the South was becoming too strong and slavery should not be
When Abraham Lincoln won the presidency in 1860 the Union was divided. He accepted his presidential duties knowing that he was working with a nation that no longer remained united. Seven of the southern states had already seceded from the Union and were beginning to refer to themselves as the Confederates. What he had now were free states and slave states. When Lincoln gave his Inaugural Address he attempted to do so in a way that would not dissuade his chances of gaining support in the southern states, especially when it involved the institution of slavery. However, he also made it clear in his address that he believed a secure and united nation was of utmost importance and he rejected the ideas
The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the biggest documents in the history of the United States and its effects lasted years after its implementation. On September 22, 1862, Abraham Lincoln announced a preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation (Dudley 166). This preliminary version told the basis of President Lincoln’s plan; all slaves who were living in a seceded and rebelling area of the South would be declared “then, thenceforward, and forever free” as of January 1, 1863 (Dudley 167). Whether or not the document would truly make a change in the nation was something that was disputed among many during the time of its issuing. Frederick Douglass was a widely known runaway slave turned abolitionist, speaker, and writer who promoted
Lincoln debates that the emancipation of slaves from the Emancipation Proclamation is making a big deal over really nothing. No slaves will be affected by the Emancipation Proclamation, because the people that have to enforce it will not enforce it. Lincoln compared it to how Pope Callixtus III excommunicated Halley’s Comet. The comet was seen as an omen of troubles to come to Pope Callixtus III so he just got rid of all of its affiliations from the church. Lincoln sees this as a chance to make it seem like a difference is being made in America with some slaves being set free but none really are. Lincoln also pointed out the problem if a mass amount of slaves started to come to the North for refuge. How could the North support all the slaves
Brent Hadden IB TOK Mr. Knox March 13th, 2015 What was the most important effect that the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln, had during the American Civil War? On September 22, 1862, Lincoln gave the Confederacy a warning by issuing preliminary proclamation that gave the confederate states one of two options; join the Union by January 1, 1863 or lose your slaves. After none of the confederate states returned to the Union, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Emancipation Proclamation was the most influential part of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. By establishing the abolition of slavery as a Union objective during Civil War, the Proclamation did three important things: it unified the Union to a common goal, it helped the Union gain support of foreign European nations, and it provided the framework for eventually freeing millions of African American slaves in the United States. The Civil War began in response to the South seceding from the Union due to the mounting tensions on the topic of slavery. The North was opposed to slave ownership and was actively trying to limit its expansion while the South had prospered from the labor of the enslaved and was threatened by the possibility of relinquishing their rights to such valuable “property”.
The Emancipation Proclamation has two points of views from highly qualified professors if the Emancipation was to free the slaves or not. The first Professor is Mr. Allen C. Guelzo and the other professor is Vincent Harding. Mr. Allen proposed that Abraham used the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves. However, Mr. Harding used his research and insisted that no the Emancipation Proclamation was not to free the slaves. On the other hand, Mr. Allen makes some well-revised statements, but Mr. Harding has facts and evidence that supports the idea that the Emancipation Proclamation wasn’t to free the slaves, but for other purposes.
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).
As much as Abraham Lincoln hated the institution of slavery, Lincoln didn’t see the Civil War as a struggle to free the nation’s 4 million slaves from the state of being a slave. Emancipation when it came, would have to be taking place and the important thing to do was to prevent the Southern rebellion from severing the Union permanently in two. But as the Civil War entered its second summer in 1862 thousands of slaves had fled Southern plantations to Union lines, and the federal government didn’t have a clear policy on how to deal with them. Emancipation Lincoln would further undermine the Confederacy while providing the Union with a new source of manpower to crush the rebellion. And that's why the Emancipation was a military policy. Why did President Abraham Lincoln Issue the Emancipation Proclamation?. The Emancipation Proclamation was said to be a turning point in slavery. There were many reasons Abraham lincoln Announced the Emancipation Proclamation his goal for the war to change its political focus to more of a right or wrong focus. Abraham Lincoln hoped that the change to a right or wrong focus on slavery would change the Northern support. In conclusion many Europeans countries including England and France were agreeing to the Emancipation proclamation. Abraham lincoln
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 '.
The occurrence of the famous Emancipation Proclamation proved to be a very significant moment of truth. History was made during the American Civil War on January 1st, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared the slaves to be free from being owned by another person, although the proclamation didn’t completely end slavery. Many may know the famous Emancipation Proclamation as what set the slaves free, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a presidential proclamation, that focused on everything that even had to do with rebellion and uprising, along with the executive branch of the U.S. including the the militia and Navy.
On January 1, 1963, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all slaves in Confederate controlled areas liberated. The document contained specific details regarding freedom for slaves. Lincoln was quoted saying to the Secretary of State, “If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some slaves, I would also do that.” The latter is what was attained. While it declared slaves free in most Southern states, some select areas were exempted whilst others were not mentioned at all. Lincoln feared that these “border states”, where slavery was legal, would likewise join the Confederacy if they were included in the proclamation. The “border states” had decided to stay in the Union when other southern states seceded in 1861.
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
Actually, the proclamation freed no slaves. It applied only to Confederate territory, where federal officers could not enforce it. The proclamation did not affect slavery in the loyal Border States. Lincoln repeatedly urged those states to free their slaves, and to pay the owners for their loss. He promised financial help from the federal government for this purpose. The failure of the states to follow his advice was one of his great disappointments.