CWR - Emancipation Proclamation Lesson

Emancipation Proclamation

When the Civil War broke out, the Union did not have a stated war goal of ending slavery. The goal was to re-unite the Union. However, as the war raged (and went poorly for the Union at first) it became clear that the war must also focus on ending slavery. Lincoln used his emergency powers again to issue the Emancipation Proclamation after the Battle of Antietam. It emancipated (freed) all slaves held in the Confederate states. Lincoln did not expect Confederate slaveholders to free their slaves, but he thought news of the proclamation would reach southern slaves and encourage them to flee to the North. Lincoln believed one reason southern whites were free to join the Confederate Army was because slaves were doing war work that, otherwise, the whites would have to do. Encouraging slaves to flee north would hurt the southern war effort.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not free slaves held in the Union states, it was warmly welcomed by African Americans living in Union States. They understood the proclamation announced a new goal for the Union troops - besides preserving the Union, the troops were fighting for the belief that the United States would abolish slavery throughout the nation.

Emancipation Proclamation: A matter of manpower

The announcement of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was one of the main actions of the Civil War.

The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves residing in territory in rebellion against the federal government. This encouraged slaves in the South to attempt to escape. As the number of runaway slaves climbed, the South's ability to produce cotton and food declined. To counter this, the South devoted some of its manpower to keeping slaves from running away. In addition, following the proclamation, the North began to allow African Americans to join the Union army. While few served in combat, more than 150,000 African Americans took the place of white soldiers by garrisoning forts and working behind the front lines. This was the equivalent of giving the North a new army larger than any of the South's. Some historians believe this was enough to guarantee a northern victory.

The Emancipation Proclamation had a very practical effect on the outcome of the war. When thinking about it, do not forget its impact on manpower and the outcome of the Civil War.

 

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