Emancipation Proclamation Research Paper PDF

Research Paper Georgia Eilers Due: 12/5/2024 Research Question: The impact of the Emancipation Proclamation, both during and after the Civil War. Discuss reasons why Lincoln issued it when he did, and what was the effect on African Americans. The Impact of the Emancipation Proclamation...

Research Paper Georgia Eilers Due: 12/5/2024 Research Question: The impact of the Emancipation Proclamation, both during and after the Civil War. Discuss reasons why Lincoln issued it when he did, and what was the effect on African Americans. The Impact of the Emancipation Proclamation During and After the Civil War During the tough times of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that resounded as one of the most momentous documents in the history of the United States.January 1rst, 1863, all specified enslaved people in certain territories that were controlled by the Confederate States later became forever free by this executive edict. At that time, this proclamation might appear poorly effective; however, it was to exert some powerful influences on the course of the war, the status of African Americans, and the general cause of civil rights in America. The date of the proclamation's arising and its ultimate effects in and beyond the war speak to a rich interplay of political, military, and moral considerations. This essay investigates these angles to show how the Emancipation Proclamation could change things. By the middle of the 19th century, the citizens of America were separated from the sectional divisions of slavery. These differences led to bloodshed in the war whose initial grant was that President Lincoln had an intent to save the Union rather than a fight to free people from slavery. Early in his presidency, Lincoln was more concerned with securing the border states including Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri that allowed slavery, yet stayed loyal to the Union. So, Lincoln ensured these states in his first speech that he had no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with slavery in the States where it existed. However, the war soon demanded a change of course. By 1862, it became obvious that the Confederate war effort relied heavily on slavery. Enslaved hands kept Southern agriculture and infrastructure alive, freeing up more white men for that service in the arms of the Confederacy. Enslaved people also continued to run to Union held territories in search of freedom and to disrupt the economy of the Confederacy. According to the radicals and the abolitionist Republicans, emancipation was a matter of morality as well as a strategic necessity to weaken the power of the Confederacy. The Emancipation Proclamation was drafted by Lincoln in July 1862 but would only announce it after a Union victory, complying with Secretary of State William H. Seward's admonition against appearing desperate. The narrow victory of the Union in the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 supplied the necessary cover. Days later, Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which gave Confederate states 100 days to rejoin the Union or face the emancipation of their enslaved populations. The deadline passed with no compliance, so Lincoln signed the final proclamation on 1 January 1863. Thus, it reframed the Civil War not merely as a battle for the support of a nation, but as a battle against slavery. President Lincoln initiated the drafting of the Emancipation Proclamation, an event which would instigate and have a far-reaching serious impact in the homefront as well as abroad. At home, it gave renewed impetus to the cause of abolitionists and made it easier for the Union Army to recruit Black soldiers whose contribution proved very useful for the Union's success. Almost 200,000 African Americans fought in the Union by the last day of the war, and they did so with great bravery and helped achieve important victories. The proclamation, at least symbolically, was clear for the United States to stand to end slavery. This event was a dissuading factor for foreign interference by Britain and France who had considered either actively or passively supporting the Confederacy but in the long run got dissuaded on the grounds of not supporting slavery. Considering that the proclamation only applied to territories in rebellion, excluding the border states and Union-occupied areas, it still struck a heavy blow against slavery as an institution and its ultimate disappearance. The proclamation held out promise for African Americans, though a promise limited in many ways. Most slaves in the Confederate territories would have to wait until the arrival of Union troops for their liberation. In some, like Texas, emancipation would be delayed for years-finally coming on Juneteenth, from the events that Americans commemorate on June 19, 1865, when federal troops secured emancipation in Galveston. The Emancipation Proclamation directly established the roots of the permanent abolition of slavery from the land of the United States. It set the pace for the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment approved by Congress in January 1865, which ratified it later in that same year. This amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery for all and made sure the proclamation of freedom was meant to become a legally binding document. Nevertheless, freedom from slavery was very difficult to achieve. To African Americans, institutional racism, labor exploitation, and violence were available during and after the Reconstruction period. Many freed slaves were unable to attain economic freedom, given that with sharecropping and racial discrimination in labor, poverty, and dependency became the new normal for many. Besides, the activities of white supremacist organizations, including the Ku Klux Klan, aimed at discrediting the various benefits enjoyed during Reconstruction. Yet, the changes marked a turning point in the history of African Americans. It created a renewed national conviction in the idea of freedom, and the promise of equality that fueled future generations in their advocacy for civil rights. The establishment of institutions such as the Freedmen's Bureau and schools for African Americans was an initiative toward achieving a larger, but not necessarily even, integration of former enslaved persons into American life as free citizens. Increased literacy was seen among African Americans, and Black leaders rallied to fight for justice and equality. Historian Allen C. Guelzo takes an overview of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America. For Guelzo, the proclamation was as much a political instrument as it was a moral declaration. He mentions that Lincoln's timing waiting for a Union victory- was crucial in giving credibility to the proclamation and sustaining public support. Further, Guelzo emphasizes that the symbolic power in this proclamation was lying in its ability to redefine the cause of the Union and make the ending of slavery critical for the identity of the nation itself. This view gives the proclamation a dual interpretation, a transformational and a practical measure showing Lincoln's skillful leadership. For example, Guelzo points out the insides in which Lincoln functioned, noting the customary limitation in scope and enforcement in the Emancipation Proclamation. More than any other state, again, the proclamation brought the freedom of a much more general declaration, though it quite explicitly applied both to border states and Confederate territory under Union control. Guelzo illustrates that combination of the highest moral purpose with political pragmatism, which has characterized Lincoln's leadership in the labyrinth of war and the state. A place unique in American history, the Emancipation Proclamation marked a significant milestone in the abolition of slavery and demonstrated the fact that democracy and human rights would progress to encompass minorities. The proclamation is regarded by Lincoln to be more than the centerpiece initiative of this administration and the greatest event of the 19th century. Its issue stressed that the federal government might, and should, intervene in favor of moral and ethical principles even when political and military conditions were somewhat able to thwart such efforts. The legacy of the proclamation is more than just its immediate effects. It turned the Civil War into a moral enterprise thus in the end it's clear that whatever India's result will flow from that, its final terms will be with liberty and equality. This evolution has formed a new national self-image in preparation for emerging struggles. Thus, they cited the changes made by Lincoln during the battle against slavery-people like Frederick Douglass or Martin Luther King Jr.-connecting that struggle with further efforts for justice and equality. The Emancipation Proclamation was the turning point in American history that pointed toward the end of slavery and the redesigned cause of the Civil War. Its immediate effects were relatively small, but the symbolic weight and future implications were huge. Setting up the repeal of slavery and an eventual struggle for civil rights, the proclamation turned a fight to preserve the Union into a battle for freedom. It stands as a testament to the enduring power of moral leadership and the place of the federal government in making a more just society. The Emancipation Proclamation is one of the cornerstones of American history in which a profound transformation in the identity of the nation and in national values took place. Both as a moral and wartime argument, the Proclamation transformed the Civil War from one of the last battles of preservation into a war of human liberty. By issuing that proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln marveled at America with his balancing act between mundane and deep ethical commitments, ensuring the transformation of the nation through this document. Its short-term effects were crucial in organizing abolitionist energies for the Union, deterring foreign powers from entering the Confederacy's camp, and allowing African Americans to join the Union Army. In the long term, its most important legacy would lie in the symbolic value that paved the way for the Thirteenth Amendment and carved liberty and equality into the American psyche. It not only brought down the institution of slavery and the testimony but also laid the foundation for that long, ongoing struggle for civil rights. By reframing the moral purpose for which the Civil War was fought and inspiring generations that follow to fight for justice, Emancipation Proclamation became something more than just a wartime measure. It became a beacon of hope. Indeed, it reminds us that history fails to be recorded without key moments in which leaders and citizens alike confront injustice. To date, through its prophetic significance, the Emancipation Proclamation is indispensable to understanding America's course toward fulfilling its ideals of freedom and equality for all. Sources: Gardullo, P. (n.d.). Emancipation proclamation: An introduction | national museum of african american history and culture. Emancipation Proclamation: An Introduction. https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/emancipation-proclamation-striking-mighty-blow-sla very/introduction Guelzo, A. C. (2006). Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America. United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster.  Wong, A. (2009, October 29). Emancipation proclamation ‑ definition, dates & summary. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/emancipation-proclamation The emancipation proclamation: Striking a mighty blow to slavery | National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Emancipation Proclamation: Striking a Mighty Blow to Slavery. (n.d.). https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/emancipation-proclamation-striking-mighty-blow-sla very This citation above is from the article The Emancipation Proclamation: Striking a Mighty Blow to Slavery and it provides these sources. Rothman, Adam. Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South. 3/31/07 ed., Harvard UP, 2007. Holt, Michael. The Fate of Their Country: Politicians, Slavery Extension, and the Coming of the Civil War. First, Hill and Wang, 2005. Foner, Eric. Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction. Illustrated, Vintage, 2006. Jones, Martha. Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America (Studies in Legal History). Cambridge UP, 2018. Bois, Du W. E. B., et al. W.E.B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction (LOA #350): An Essay Toward A History of The Part whichBlack Folk Played in The Attempt to ReconstructDemocracy in America, 1860–1880 (Library of America, 350). Library of America, 2021. Jay, Bethany, et al. Understanding and Teaching American Slavery (the Harvey Goldberg Series for Understanding and Teaching History). 1st ed., University of Wisconsin Press, 2016. Daniel R. Biddle, and Murray Dubin. “‘God Is Settling the Account’: African American Reaction to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 137, no. 1, Project Muse, 2013, p. 57. https://doi.org/10.5215/pennmaghistbio.137.1.0057.