Emancipation Proclamation Dbq

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One of the major turning points in United States history occurred on January 1, 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted. After the civil war, the country was split between Union and Confederate States which further divided the country. A number of white supremacy groups began to flourish in the post war south, specifically The White League and the Ku Klux Klan. Various legislative orders were enacted due to these groups. The Emancipation Proclamation and the Enforcement Acts changed the frame of the post war south. After the civil war the country was divided into two distinctive parts, the Union States (northern part of the country) and the Confederate States (southern part of the country). The Union States took the stance of …show more content…

It stated, “that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious areas are, and henceforward should be free.” 1 This was an important document because it was the start of some freedom for the slaves in the south. However, this document was more useful for the slaves that lived in the South; it did not help the slaves who lived in the Border States or Union States. This document included only the states that had already seceded from the Union, those who were in ‘rebellion’. This document was powerful because it gave hope to slaves, a chance for a better life. Even though this document did not fully guarantee freedom for the slaves in the North, it was a start at ending slavery. It also had an unintended consequence; it created a bigger divide in the country, over whether slaves should be free or …show more content…

For example, one major limitation was that it only provided freedom for slaves in the Southern states, although the Border States and Union States were excluded. For example, the Border States of Tennessee was excluded from the order because it was already under Union Control at the time and was not in rebellion. As mentioned earlier, t it further divided the country into people who supported the freedom of the slave’s verses those who did not. In the Proclamation it allowed African American’s to join the army. This was a major development for the Union Army, because they now had more troops to help fight the Confederacy, which led to the development of the United States Colored Troops. This was another large victory for the freedom of African