The articles you are reading for today provides two very different schools of thought about the Emancipation Proclamation. Supporters and opponents of the proclamation saw it serving two seemingly disparate purposes--one to seek foreign alliances, and one to catalyze nationwide emancipation. It was either celebrated joyfully or distrusted and feared.
But what was its function, really? In this "post-racial" (no, I don't believe that we actually are, hence the quotes), country that has elected a black president, we tend to celebrate Lincoln and his Proclamation. But we know that this 1863 decision only scratched the surface of the immense and violent racial battles that were still to come (and are still occurring today).
So what is it that we are celebrating? What is the Emancipation Proclamation?
After reading the three articles, "Congress Voices its Views, "Jefferson Davis Deploys Emancipation and Boarder States are Alarmed," and "Lincoln's Hometown Applauds," I believe the real function of the emancipation proclamation was to preserve the union in a way so if the South was to win it would not disappear. I do not believe its primary purpose was to abolish slavery completely, that was never Lincoln's intention in the first place. He always believed that one day slavery would eventually die out. At one point he even supported slavery because he believed it was a necessity in our country at the time. I believe they are celebrating the change in the war because now the north and south are just fighting the south is no longer fighting for their way of life of owning salves. In a way I believe Lincoln that he would settle many disputes by emancipating slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation was designed to preserve the Union overall.
ReplyDeleteMany Northerner’s response to the Emancipation Proclamation differed. Republicans were delighted with the idea that the Union was now strong enough militarily, but the Democrats believed that the proclamation was unconstitutional and it shifted the aim of war. The Emancipation Proclamation’s real function was to settle the dispute between the North and South. The Emancipation Proclamation was a bill signed by Abraham Lincoln, which, “freed the slaves held in the states in rebellion to the United States.” In a time of violence and death, we are celebrating another step forward in the progression of the war. Lincoln had, “warned the people of the rebellious states to return to their allegiance without effect... those who refuse to support the government in the exercise of necessary and just authority are traitors.... true patriots of every name rally around the President, determined that the Union shall be preserved and the laws enforced.” it was time to take the next step.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was actually a military method that was used to change the wartime situation. I think "free slaves" should be its secondary function because the North was losing the war before Lincoln published the proclamation, and the situation was complex. I think Lincoln actually didn't want to abolish slavery at once because there were some slavery states that were supporting the Federal army and it would be contradictory if he abolished slavery at once. In order to change the situation from losing to winning, the best way is to enlarge the number of soldiers in the army, and the Emancipation Proclamation did it, it really helped adding soldiers to the Federal army. I don't think people were celebrating for free slaves, but more for the war situation changed; only slaves were celebrating for themselves, not actually for the war. The Emancipation Proclamation was designed to strengthen the North in order to win the war.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these three articles, , "Congress Voices its Views, "Jefferson Davis Deploys Emancipation and Boarder States are Alarmed," and "Lincoln's Hometown Applauds," I feel that the emancipation proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation was mainly a declaration of policy, which, it was hoped, would serve as an opening in getting rid of the South's great manpower reserve in slaves and, equally important, would enhance the Union. Also, the emancipation proclamation at home was duly hailed b radical abolitionists. This was more than offset by the boost it gave the Union abroad, where, on the whole, it was warmly received; in combination with subsequent Union victories, it ended all hopes of the Confederacy for recognition from Britain and France. Doubts as to its constitutionality were later removed by the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment.
ReplyDeleteI think that people in of the 20th and 21st century see the Emancipation proclamation as the first step to creating a country where all types of people can live cohesively. This proclamation was the first official document that made all african american people free. I feel this was used as a military strategy to have all of the slaves in the South acknowledge their freedom from the proclamation and join the Union. Although we do have an african american president and many racial boundaries are broken, the idea of racism is still present today. Like Morgan Freeman said, "The only way to get rid of racism is to just stop talking about it."
ReplyDeleteWhen we look back we see the Emancipation Proclamation as this great legislation that abolished slavery and reunited America with their morals, yet it was. Lincoln didnt even really want to completely abolish slavery as he thought it would slowly die out,. In the time it was adopted, September 22nd, 1862, it served a different purpose; it was both the stepping stone towards abolition without taking that huge step that would cause so many issues. It was also adopted to make the North look like they were fighting more of a "holy" war than just a civil revolution. It placated the abolitionists, garnered the North global allies, paved the way for total abolition, and marked Abraham Lincoln as one of best presidents in US history
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was “an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, as a war measure during the American Civil War, to all segments of the Executive branch (including the Army and Navy) of the United States. It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion, thus applying to 3.1 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. at the time.” After reading the articles, I believe the emancipation proclamation was a way of saving the union because if the confederacy were to win the union would not be left to rust in dust. The prime purpose for the emancipation was not to abolish slavery because it was never Lincoln’s intention; his intention was to stop slavery from expanding. The main purpose of the emancipation was to protect the union.
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