Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation was an important order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. It changed the status of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the Confederate states from enslaved to free. Any enslaved person who could escape to Union-controlled areas or areas taken by federal troops became permanently free. The Proclamation also allowed former slaves to join the United States armed forces.

Before the final Proclamation, Lincoln issued a preliminary version on September 22, 1862, warning that freedom would come if the rebellion continued. The final document listed the states still rebelling and declared that all enslaved people there were free. It could not be enforced in areas still under Confederate control, but as the Union army advanced, it provided the legal basis for freeing enslaved people across the South.

The Emancipation Proclamation changed the purpose of the Civil War, shifting it from saving the Union to ending slavery. It upset many white Southerners but inspired abolitionists and gave hope to African Americans. Many enslaved people escaped to Union lines and joined the Union Army. Although the Proclamation did not end slavery everywhere immediately, it was a key step toward the end of slavery in the United States. Later, the 13th Amendment was passed to make slavery unconstitutional forever.

Authority

Further information: Slave states and free states and Slavery and the United States Constitution

The United States Constitution from 1787 had rules about people who were not free. It did not use the word "slavery" but said things like counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person. It also said that if an enslaved person ran away to a free state, they could be caught and taken back.

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln used his power to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He thought this let him free people who were enslaved in the states that had fought against the United States. But this did not include the border states that stayed with the Union, such as Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware.

Coverage

The Emancipation Proclamation was meant to free enslaved people in ten states that were fighting against the United States on January 1, 1863. These states were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, and North Carolina. It did not apply to enslaved people in four states that were not fighting, called border states: Maryland, Delaware, Missouri, and Kentucky. The state of Tennessee was also not included because it was under Union control.

Some areas were left out of the Proclamation. These included parts of Virginia that later became West Virginia, parts around New Orleans in Louisiana, and other places that Lincoln thought were still loyal to the United States. As Union troops moved through the South, many enslaved people escaped to freedom.

Background

Military action prior to emancipation

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 said that people who had escaped slavery must go back to their owners. During the Civil War, in May 1861, a Union general named Benjamin Butler said that three people who escaped to Union lines were contraband of war, meaning they were taken by the enemy. He refused to send them back.

Governmental action toward emancipation

In December 1861, President Lincoln spoke to Congress about his ideas. He liked the idea of freeing enslaved people but also wanted to keep the country together. In January 1862, a leader in the House of Representatives called for freeing enslaved people to hurt the enemy’s economy. Later that year, Congress passed a law that stopped the return of people who had escaped slavery. Slavery was ended in the District of Columbia in April 1862.

In June 1862, Congress passed a law ending slavery in all U.S. areas not part of any state. President Lincoln signed this into law. Also, in July 1862, a new law said that enslaved people in areas controlled by rebel forces and then taken by Union forces would be permanently free. However, Lincoln still thought only he, as the leader during war, could free enslaved people in rebel areas if it helped win the war. By summer 1862, Lincoln had written a proclamation to free enslaved people in rebelling states, to go into effect on January 1, 1863.

Public opinion of emancipation

Some people, called abolitionists, had for a long time asked Lincoln to free all enslaved people. In 1862, a well-known writer said it was time to attack the enemy more strongly and free the enslaved people quickly. Lincoln replied that his main goal was to keep the country together, not to end slavery. He said he would free enslaved people if it helped save the country, but he did not have to if it did not. Some people thought Lincoln was only saying this to make others agree to his plans. Others thought he truly wanted to end slavery but needed to explain it in a way that would get support. During the months before January 1863, Lincoln still considered saving the country without freeing any enslaved people, but he also prepared to free those in rebelling states.

Drafting and issuance of the Proclamation

Abraham Lincoln first talked about the Emancipation Proclamation with his advisors in July 1862. He wrote a draft and shared it with important leaders.

After a big battle in September 1862, Lincoln issued a warning that he would free enslaved people in parts of the South still fighting against the United States. He made this official on January 1, 1863. This proclamation changed the legal status of enslaved African Americans in those areas from enslaved to free. As Union troops moved forward, many enslaved people escaped to join them.

The Emancipation Proclamation also allowed freed people to join the United States military. Many African Americans served and helped the United States.

Implementation

The Emancipation Proclamation was a special order by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. It said that enslaved African Americans in the Southern states fighting against the United States would be free.

Many enslaved people were happy when the Proclamation started. In places like Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, people heard that they were free. The Proclamation helped many enslaved people escape to areas controlled by the United States Army, where they were safe. This made it harder for the South to work and helped the North in the war. The Proclamation changed the war's goal to ending slavery, which got support from many people who opposed slavery and from other countries.

Gettysburg Address

President Abraham Lincoln spoke about the Emancipation Proclamation in his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. He talked about ending slavery as an important goal of the Civil War. The Proclamation helped Lincoln get support from people who wanted to end slavery.

Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (1863)

In December 1863, President Abraham Lincoln shared rules for how rebel states could make peace with the Union. The rules were that these states needed to accept the Emancipation Proclamation. This meant agreeing that enslaved people were now free. They also needed to accept laws that took away property from people who supported the rebellion and a law that banned slavery in areas controlled by the United States government.

Postbellum

Near the end of the war, some people were worried that the Emancipation Proclamation might only work while the fighting was going on. To make sure freedom would last, President Lincoln worked to pass a new law to end slavery everywhere in the United States. After he was re-elected, Lincoln asked Congress to send the new law to the states to approve.

By December 1865, enough states had agreed, and the law became official. This meant that even in places like Kentucky and Delaware, where slavery had not ended yet, people were finally free.

Critiques

Further information: Abraham Lincoln and slavery

The Emancipation Proclamation has been talked about a lot by historians. Some say it did not change much because it only applied to places not under Union control. Others think it was important because it showed Lincoln was a strong leader.

People have different ideas about what Lincoln really felt about ending slavery. Some think he did not do enough, while others admire how he grew as a leader during the Civil War. Historians still study and discuss the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Legacy in the civil rights era

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often talked about the Emancipation Proclamation during the civil rights movement. In a speech, he called it a very important part of history. He said that even though the United States said it believed in freedom, it did not always act on these beliefs. He dreamed that one day, freedom for all would truly come true.

In his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, King reminded everyone that 100 years earlier, the Emancipation Proclamation had offered hope to enslaved people. But he pointed out that even after 100 years, many African Americans were still not truly free.

The "Second Emancipation Proclamation"

Main article: Second Emancipation Proclamation

In the early 1960s, Dr. King and others asked President John F. Kennedy to use his power to end unfair laws. They called this idea the "Second Emancipation Proclamation." Although Kennedy did not create this second proclamation, the idea showed how important it was to fight for equal rights.

President John F. Kennedy

On June 11, 1963, President Kennedy spoke about civil rights on television. He talked about how, 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, many African Americans were still not fully free. He said it was a moral issue and announced that he would introduce a major law to help create equality. He worked hard to pass this law until he died later that year.

President Lyndon B. Johnson

During the civil rights movement, Lyndon B. Johnson also talked about the Emancipation Proclamation. He said that even though it promised freedom, many promises had not yet come true. As president, he spoke about this when he introduced a law to protect voting rights in 1965. He believed that it was time for true justice and equality for everyone.

In popular culture

The Emancipation Proclamation appeared in a 1963 episode of The Andy Griffith Show called "Andy Discovers America." In this episode, Andy asks his friend Barney to help explain the Emancipation Proclamation to his son Opie, who is having trouble with history at school. Barney tries to show off his knowledge but ends up frustrated and only says it is a proclamation for certain people who wanted freedom.

The Emancipation Proclamation was also featured in the 2012 movie Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg. It is celebrated worldwide, including on stamps from places like the Republic of Togo. The United States issued a special stamp for it on August 16, 1963, to mark the opening of the Century of Negro Progress Exhibition in Chicago, Illinois. The stamp was designed by Georg Olden.