Emancipation Proclamation Dbq

508 Words3 Pages

Americans have always been curious to improve the freed world by expanding upon necessary, fundamental rights to create happiness in the end, for all men. Proposed on September 22, 1862, and put into effect on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in all rebellious states and changed the meaning of the Civil War away from simply reuniting the Union. The Battle of Antietam, a Union victory, served as ammunition for this proposition to avoid thoughts of creating the Proclamation out of desperation. The most important political turning point for the North winning the war was the Emancipation Proclamation because it was brave, critical, and tactical. The issuing of the notorious and well-known Emancipation Proclamation was a task which required bravery to administer. The risky element of this document was mainly due to the South's reliance on slavery to survive. The South's economy was dedicated to agriculture and needed slaves to produce crops; without it, every southerner would be out of business. In addition, a fear existed that soldiers would not fight for the Union purpose if it was passed because ending slavery was not what they initially agreed and signed up to fight for. This Proclamation was a definitively brave, as well as a critical statement for Abraham Lincoln to make on …show more content…

This document changed the focus of the war from reunifying the nation to abolishing slavery. By issuing the Emancipation Proclamation when he did, Abraham Lincoln kept Britain and France from supporting the South because if they did they would be supporting slavery, which the citizens of both Britain and France were strongly against. Furthermore, it was concluded by Lincoln to be the only way to reunite the Union besides more war and it displayed dominance by the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation was critical for Abraham Lincoln to create, but it was also