Contibutions That Helped Establish Emancipation
"What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it saves the Union" -Abraham Lincoln 1862
Tensions between the Northern and Southern United States caused the four year long American Civil War of 1861. One of the most controversial and conflicting issues was that of slavery. The north was anti-slavery and the south was for slavery because it heavily depended on the free labor of the African American slaves in order to grow crops, which was the foundation of the south's economy. African Americans fought on both sides of the war, however, the Union, had far more support than the Confederate States. In January of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. this document freed all the slaves who were in the rebellion states. This document was drafted midway through the war, it also served as a successful war tactic. Soon after, the percentage of African Americans who enlisted on the Union Army increased. The war was not fought to end slavery, but focused on preserving the Union and respecting the United States Constitution.
First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln, painted by Francis Carpenter in 1864
"Slaves in the border states that remained in the Union, shown in dark brown, were excluded from the Emancipation Proclamation, as were slaves in the Confederate areas already held by Union forces (shown in yellow)."
Source: http://www.ushistory.org/us/34a.asp
President Abraham Lincoln never made ending slavery a key issue in the Civil War, however, in 1962, he felt the need to end slavery was necessary. There were several obstacles to overcome. If the Proclamation was put in effect, it would not include the slaves who were in the border states: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland or Delaware, because those were Union states (but also slave holding). It would target the 10 southern states, member of the Confederacy, those states who were "unloyal" and seceded from the Union. These were the states that were in rebellion. The president's goal was to force the Confederate states back into the Union, because now without slaves to work on fields and aid in war efforts, the south was practically powerless. One can argue, this war tactic, killed two birds with one stone, it aided in preserving the United states, but also made efforts towards abolishing slavery.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on 01/01/1863, it declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."one of the highlights of the Emancipation Proclamation was that now that African Americans were free, they were now accepted into the armed forces, and essentially fight for their freedom. there were nearly 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors who fought for the Union and their freedom. This strengthened the Union because the south had nothing to fall back on as far as backup.
Questions to ask you students:
1.On what date did the Emancipation Proclamation take effect? (January 1, 1863)
2.What did the Emancipation Proclamation declare? (Freedom for the slaves)
3.How did the Emancipation Proclamation change the focus of the war? (The war was meant to preserve the Union AND ending slavery)
4.Did the Proclamation apply to the entire United States or a specific area? (The Confederate States, states in rebellion)
5.Can you identify the ten states that seceded from the Union?
(Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia)
Important Links:
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=34