Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation and Diversity in Troops

Chapter 16

Emancipation - freeing people in slavery

• Lincoln had spent years talking about ending slavery, and abolitionists urged him to do that now.

• Many opinions on the question of ending slavery (question 1):

  • Some people wanted to get rid of slavery completely

  • Some wanted to get rid of it gradually and pay southerners

  • Others wanted to leave the system alone.

Military Reasons to Emancipate

Slavery supported the southern economy (farming-based). Confederate soldiers needed people to work on their farms while they were at war, so ending slavery would take away their support.

When to Emancipate?

• Best time - when the Union is in a position of strength.

• After the Battle of Antietam

• Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 22, 1862

• Took effect on Jan. 1, 1863

Multiple Choice

What was one reason the North supported emancipation?

• freed people could fill job openings

• take away support for the Confederacy

Open Ended

Why do you think the North wanted to wait to issue the Emancipation Proclamation until after a Union victory?

Where to Emancipate?

• Emancipation Proclamation freed people in areas controlled by the Confederacy.

• Did not affect the border states

• Technically couldn't be enforced (because the North didn't control the Confederacy)

Poll

Why do you think the North did not ban slavery in the border states?

• did not want them to get mad and join the Confederacy

• did not really believe in outlawing slavery

Multiple Choice

Under the Emancipation Proclamation, where was slavery banned?

• entire United States

• areas controlled by the Confederacy (South)

• border states

Poll

How do you think the Emancipation Proclamation would affect the South?

• no effect on them

• hurt the South, since enslaved people could escape and stop doing work in South

• help them because Confederate soldiers would be more inspired to fight

Effect of the Emancipation Proclamation

• Supposed to keep the loyalty of the border states, while hurting the Confederacy

• When Union troops moved through the South, enslaved people (about 500,000) escaped to join them
  (question 6).

Helping the North

• Union running low on soldiers

• African Americans willing to volunteer to serve in the Union military.

• July 1862 - Congress allowed African American war laborers and some combat units.

• By Spring 1863, African American troops were serving bravely in battle.

Open Ended

How did the Emancipation Proclamation help the North (Union)?

Bravery in Battle

• By the end of the war, 180,000 of Union Army troops (10%) were African-American, and 19,000 of the Navy.

• The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Unit was the most well-known black army troop, and they received much praise for their heroic attack on South Carolina's Fort Wagner. (movie Glory based on this)

Open Ended

The 54^th Massachusetts Infantry regiment lost the battle at Fort Wagner. Why do you think so many white and black Americans still considered this battle significant for our country?