1.Why did Lincoln decide to issue the Proclamation at this particular time? This Proclamation, by president lincoln, was announced on January 1,1863 freeing the slaves in all the territory in revolt against the union. It also announced that African American men ready to fight could join the U.S. armed forces. Lincoln believed that freeing the slaves would cripple the south and may help end the civil war.
There is some debate on whether or not the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 truly freed the slaves of the south. There is evidence proving that the proclamation in fact did not actually emancipate slaves like it should have according to the document. Full emancipation did not come until after the end of the Civil War. Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation as a war tactic against the south. And although it claims to free the slaves immediately, Lincoln did not have that kind of power over the south.
For the people who were against slavery, they wanted for all men to be treated equally and have freedom. During the war, African Americans could not fight for this cause due to individuals who discriminated them based on the color of their skin. Until January of 1863, President Lincoln signed and put the Emancipation Proclamation into order. This order stated “that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states, are, and henceforward shall be free” (National Archives). This order freed a few people but naturally the states in rebellion did not act on President Lincoln's orders.
Lincoln did this in order to get the United States on the same page because of the problems going on with the Union and the Confederates. He knew that in order for the US to get better and progress he had to make a change which was Reconstruction. December 1863 was when Reconstruction was brought to the House of Representatives and the White House as a whole. All in all, Lincoln planned out that Reconstruction would work in the slaves favor and his as well but it didn’t. Overall, Reconstruction wasn’t successful because instead of it benefiting African Americans it brought on many problems with only a few advantages.
Lincoln allowed slaves to cross over to the Union and join their army to help fight the Confederates. This helped increase the Union's population well above the South's and gave the Union the advantage. The main goal after the Proclamation was issued was to abolish slavery while uniting the country. This goal was achieved from the effects of Lincoln's
Although not originally part of the Unionist agenda, Abraham Lincoln soon understood that emancipation of slaves was a necessary step in defeating the South. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863, which freed all slaves in both Union and rebel territories, although it was difficult to put into effect. This was a critical decision that contrasted previous efforts to end slavery that did not match its scale. Years later, following the end of the Civil War, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was issued, which declared that all people born in the U.S. should be considered citizens. Until this point, African Americans could not have gained citizenship even if it was the only country they ever knew.
He valued the preservation of the Union more than ending the institution of slavery. The president set his goal and used any means necessary to win the war. Emancipation was a convenient consequence of this goal, because abolishing slavery weakened the South and made a legal precedent for slavery. Lincoln did not want to agree with the justifications of slavery, so emancipation as a tool to win the war would benefit both of his desires for uniting a slave free nation. Although, Lincoln naturally opposed slavery and would be happy with the outcome of the war, he would have keep slavery in some states if it meant saving the Union.
However, following the events that took place at the Battle of Antietam, President Lincoln was able to pass the Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that all slaves in a rebellious state would be considered free. This would not go into effect until after the war, but it allowed African Americans to join the Union Army. This was a great step forward for black soldiers, but Lincoln still received backlash for his decision. Lincoln wrote to those who opposed his decision that he wished for all men, regardless of race, to be free and that why should African Americans do anything for them if they will do nothing for them in return (Document C)? This did not please Lincoln’s intended audience for this letter, which were those who were against the Proclamation, because it had truth in saying that African Americans should also be given the promise of freedom.
Black slaves who entered the military to fight for the Union have contributed to the success of the war. According to History of American Peoples, “Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty,” this was stated by Lincoln when explaining the Emancipation Proclamation which shows how his reasoning was slavery but to suppress the rebellion of the Union (Majewski, Jacobson, & Razek, 76). Although it was not Lincoln’s forefront reasoning for passing this act, it helped so many slaves be free and was a win for abolitionists, even though Lincoln’s intentions were plainly for winning the
President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is
President Abraham Lincoln claimed the reason why the Confederate States were still able to fight in the Civil War was because of their slaves. He used his grant of wars power to help abolish slavery. Who freed the slaves? Abraham Lincoln did when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all the slaves in the sates that were fighting against the Union. It did not necessarily free all the slaves at that time, but this emancipation was the turning point of the Civil War and paved the way for the passing of the 13th Amendment into the Constitution.
Northern freed slaves were encouraged to enlist on the basis that it was a citizen’s responsibility and they were now citizens charged with those responsibilities. Border state slaves, those who had not been immediately freed under the Proclamation were told they would be freed on the spot if they agreed to enlist on the side of the Union. This was a move to hasten the spread of slave freedom and was also a military action to grow the dwindling Union army and push the goal of the war. Though much of the Union army was not at first a friend to the idea, by Lincoln’s hand and encouraging words they came to the understanding that the eradication push was an intelligent move for the war, morally and militarily. By continuing to make the goal of abolition and the protection of the Union one in the same, Lincoln was ensuring that his people would stand behind him.
Before President Lincoln became president he opposed slavery in the territories. Once he took office the way slavery was going to change. On January 1st, 1863 president Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation . The Emancipation Proclamation stated “ that all persons held
During Abraham Lincoln’s campaigning for presidency, Lincoln expressed his contemporary view that he believed whites were superior to blacks, not as a race, but as a stigma that history had placed, especially amongst the 1858 debates with Stephen Douglas, so when Lincoln passed the Proclamation, he truly believed that he was doing the right thing. This gained the support from people in the Union and the Union as a whole, but ended up putting the Confederates at much more unrest. Even though all of this occured, the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation wasn’t given without some type of warning. Abraham Lincoln passed the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22nd, 1862. It stated that if the Southern states did not cease their rebellious acts by January 1st, 1863, then Proclamation would go into effect.
Lincoln’s main purpose was freedom, and the blacks began to search for identity. On 1 January 1863, “Lincoln proclaimed that the freedom of all slaves in rebellious regions was now a Union war aim- ‘an act of justice’ as well as ‘military necessity’
