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Nancy Castillejos
Doctor Brandon Duncan
History 2231
December 6, 2017
The Emancipation Proclamation
After countless years of slavery being the social norm, though many came to eventually
reject slavery, one could not envision the day that slavery would be abolished entirely. Although
there was a balance between free and slave states, abolitionists formed movements for complete
freedom of slaves along with the extension of full citizens’ rights to all people, regardless of
race. It wasn’t until the Civil War that the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was
able to use the abolition of slavery as a militia tactic. This tactic was known as the
“Emancipation Proclamation.” This proclamation gave hope to Northerners as well as slaves. In
“The Emancipation Proclamation 1864,” Abraham Lincoln declared the following,
That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State
or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the
United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free…—
And by virtue of the power and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that
all persons held as slaves within said designated States and parts of States are, and
henceforward shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States,
including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the
freedom of said persons.
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And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all
violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all case
when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make known that such persons of suitable condition will be
received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations,
and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service… (Lincoln).
The “Emancipation Proclamation” not only freed slaves but also made the Civil War about the
fight for freedom of slaves. It recognized free slaves as becoming a part of society, allowing
them to work and earn wages, and to join alongside Union armies especially during the Civil
War.
After Abraham Lincoln was elected president, states in the South began to secede from
