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Emancipation Proclamation Was A Turning Point Essay

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The institution of slavery was a vital part of the growth, economy, and politics in the United States from the early colonial era to the climax of the Civil War. The end of slavery came in a tide of reform resulting in the liberation of over four million slaves. The confluence of the political developments in 1861 and the changing ideological currents brought on by the Civil War impacted the United States for many years to come and brought slavery to an end.
On March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. He was the first Republican candidate to win the presidency with only forty percent of the popular vote. He won the election at a time when the United States was divided by secession and war. His challenges started shortly after his inauguration when seven southern slave states succeeded from the Union. They elected Jefferson Davis as their president formally establishing the Confederate States of America. Since slavery within the states was protected by the Constitution, those that were against slavery concentrated on keeping it out of the territories. The southern states argued that it was their constitutional right to carry slaves into the territories. …show more content…

The Proclamation was a turning point in the Civil War because it changed the focus of the war from preserving the Union to fighting for human freedom from slavery. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Even though the wording of the Emancipation Proclamation was extensive, it was still limited in some areas. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, with slavery remaining in the Border States. It also excluded parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Essentially, the freedom for slaves was dependent on the Union military being victorious in their

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It did not free the 45,000 slaves in the devoted border states, the 275,000 slaves in Union settled Tennessee, and the slaves ordered by the Union Army in Louisiana and Virginia. Before the Emancipation Proclamation the Union’s war goal was to keep the country united and stated that slaves in territories still in rebellion were freed and encouraged them to join the Union battalion. After the Proclamation the Union’s war goal was to keep the country united and abolishing slavery in the South. This was only enforced to states that had break away from the Union and not affecting the devoted border states. The freedom promised to the slaves relied only on the victory of the Union in the war.

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Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War, and faced a divided nation over slavery, “a house divided cannot stand” (Lincoln), and so the Civil War broke out in America and became the bloodiest war we ever fought in all of our history (Civil War Trust). Abraham Lincoln fought against slavery, ended the injustice, and showed traits that other activists showed. Slavery had been apart of America since we became an independent country. A Dutch trader first introduced slaves as indentured workers, but selfishness and greed soon settled in and white plantation owners soon forced slaves to work for free and stripped them of all their rights, and freedoms. Before the election of Abraham, tensions about the legality of slaves increased and

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Introduction Who was the best Civil War general, who was the best American General? The discussion and debate of who was better has gone on since the Civil War and will like go on for the rest of the history of the United State. Lee was the South’s accomplished general and Grant was the North’s slow rising average general, If you will. Lee vs Grant will be a discussion for many centuries. While many Americans had many similarities in the 1800’s the two path’s and styles was different.

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With the increasingly polarizing debates and discussions surrounding slavery as the Civil War approached, the North and South were at a breaking point. Abraham Lincoln's election into office, the Dred Scott decision, and Bleeding Kansas brought the country at odds with itself and many people believed that this problem could only be solved through violence and division. When Abraham Lincoln was elected to be the President of the United States, the South was aggravated and not willing to have a president that did not share their opinions on slavery. Because Lincoln was so outspoken against the institution of slavery, the South felt directly attacked. Their way of life since slavery was introduced was threatened.

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This proclamation stated that all people held as slaves, in the rebellious states, are and will be free. This was written after about 3 years of fighting in the civil war. The confederates in the south didn’t want to give up the privilege

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