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Introduction
The Emancipation Proclamation was President Lincolns decision to enforce the Republicans armies and weaken the Confederates during the Civil War. The document declared that 3,5 million enslaved people could be free if they escape the Confederacys government by reaching the Unions line (Broomall & Reidy, 2020). The Proclamations application led Lincoln to victory in the Civil War, considering slavery illegal for the United States and changing the citizens perception of equality.
Historical Background
Slavery has been a major social issue for the American nation since colonists brought newcomers to the continent. After the United States declared its independence in 1776, freeing the enslaved became possible through political actions and new regulations. Indeed, acts like the Fifth Amendment and Emancipation Proclamation influenced the status of slaves in the country, leading to the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 which abolished slavery by making it illegal (Broomall & Reidy, 2020). Lincolns Proclamation was drafted and issued during the Civil War, and while it had a relatively strategic purpose, it was a crucial step forward.
The Republicans executed practices for preventing slavery from expanding in the countrys new states, while the Southern Parties believed that slaves are vital for Americas development. That disagreement and Lincolns election as the president in 1860 led to the Confederate States of Americas establishment, and the conflict raised into the Civil War (Abraham Lincoln and emancipation, 2021). The Revolutionary Wars experience reminded slaves of a chance to escape by joining the army and getting possible liberation.
The Events that Led the Proclamation to Be Established
The Civil War was the major turnaround in American history, and the submission of the Emancipation Proclamation was its crucial outcome. As the battles were at their peak in 1862, the demand for significant changes in policies and military enforcement increased. The lack of new troops and an increasing number of victims made president Lincoln rethink the slavery abolishment promoted during the election campaign (Rodrigue, 2017). Besides, legislations related to slavery have already been updated to make it possible for the enslaved to join the army. Groups of affected people left their masters at the beginning of the war due to an unclear understanding of their status. In order to govern the situation, Congress passed the First Confiscation Act in August 1861 to negate owners claims to the escaped who worked on the Confederacy side (Abraham Lincoln and emancipation, 2021). After the Union won the Battle of Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln mentioned the emancipation proclamation for the states of rebellion (Regosin, 2017). The Confederates lost fewer troops than the presidents army, and slavery abolishment seemed like an opportunity for the latter to get more soldiers.
The Emancipation Proclamation Contents
On September 22, 1862, the president issued the Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery in the rebellion states. Lincoln (1862) stated that by virtue of the power, 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. The Proclamation influenced such states as Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia (Lincoln, 1862). From January 1, 1863, more than three-quarters of the enslaved were freed in the country, meaning that only 500,000 slaves were left from the 4 million nationwide (Broomall & Reidy, 2020). The Proclamations execution caused the military enforcement of the Union and influenced the Civil Wars results.
The Emancipation Proclamation did not make slavery illegal, therefore social issues related to the relationship between the masters and their slaves were not solved. Also, no clear rights except for the general liberty were given to the freed people, and the lives of many did not change. Lincoln did not have the power to eliminate slavery on the legislative level as president, however, as a chief commander, he could issue the strategic actions demanded in the war conditions (Regosin, 2017). Consequently, the Emancipation Proclamation addressed the military interest of the Union and served to end the conflict rather than to liberate people from devastating lives.
The Emancipation Proclamations Outcomes
The Proclamation declared that each slave who could escape from the Confederate states to the Union got their freedom. Such conditions weakened the Southern armies as they relied on the enslaved peoples labor. Besides, Lincolns strategy affected the Europeans who attempted to intervene in the Civil War by sponsoring Confederacy. The colonists, such as the British Empire, disagreed with the liberating policies and refused to participate in the American battles (Rodrigue, 2017). The immediate outcome of the Emancipation Proclamation was the Unions enforcement and the positive switch in African Americans life perception.
The increasing number of African American soldiers helped their white associates change their thinking and realize the power of equality. Lincolns strategic decision also gave another meaning to the Civil War and its fundamental purposes. The battles led the country to a new birth of freedom, as the president called it in the Gettysburg Address in 1863 (Abraham Lincoln and emancipation, 2021). The military power improvement move with the positive impact seemed like a potentially valuable constitutional update. Consequently, in 1864, the Republican Party drafted the Thirteenth Amendment that defined slavery as illegal, and by the end of the war, it was passed by Congress.
Proclamations Impact on Society
Although the Emancipation Proclamation was the Union armys strategic improvement, news about liberation quickly spread and caused various reactions in society. During the Civil War, slaves served the soldiers, worked in factories, produced food, sewed clothes, and provided care in military hospitals. Becoming free without certain rights and labor regulations was confusing, therefore many conflicts and strikes occurred after the Proclamations submission (Broomall & Reidy, 2020). However, African American communities received hope and the opportunity to get a solid civil position. That change influenced their course of action when the Reconstruction period came after the war and legal slavery abolishment.
As the Emancipation Proclamation was a military document, it had no constitutional power, but its successful appliance led to the Thirteenth Amendments passage. Societys reaction to the proclamation made Lincoln include economic guarantees for the liberated people and novel regulations for labor nationwide to the Reconstruction plans (Regosin, 2017). Moreover, communities still struggled from the racist conflicts as the new conditions often severely impacted the lives of the former masters. Many of the latter criticized the Emancipation Proclamation by describing it as a military measure with unjustifiably serious consequences. The Civil Rights Movements that occurred later in the twentieth century addressed that conflict and fought for every American citizens equal importance.
Conclusion
The United States society suffered from racism and discrimination for an extended period, and various political decisions helped the country establish equality. The bloodiest events like the Civil War revealed that eliminating slavery made the nation stronger, and Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation was a turning point that changes the conflicts meaning and outcomes. The presidents military strategies are still being criticized due to their significant influence on society, politics, and the economy. However, the declaration of freedom for more than 3,5 million slaves became an important step toward eliminating unequal treatment. Slavery became illegal after Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, and the Emancipation Proclamation played a crucial role in making that happen.
References
Abraham Lincoln and emancipation. (n.d.). Library of Congress. 2021, Web.
Broomall, J. J. & Reidy, J.P. (2020). Illusions of emancipation: The pursuit of freedom and equality in the twilight of slavery. The American Historical Review, 125(3), 966-968. Web.
Lincoln, A. (1862). The Emancipation Proclamation. Web.
Regosin, E. (2017). Rethinking American emancipation: Legacies of slavery and the quest for black freedom. Journal of American History, 103(4), 1048. Web.
Rodrigue, J. C. (2017). Repudiating the Emancipation Proclamation, and re-establishing slavery : The abolition of slavery in the Lower Mississippi Valley and the United States. Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, 58(4), 389-403. Web.
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