Roles and Impact of African Americans in the Civil War

In January 1863, a Union soldier reads the Emancipation Proclamation under a large oak tree in Hampton, Virginia, to a crowd of free African Americans, including Samuel and Violet, who were born into slavery. The proclamation, issued by President Lincoln, declares freedom for slaves in Confederate states, changing the war's focus to ending slavery. Despite its limitations, it allows African Americans to join the Union Army, contributing significantly to the war effort. The oak tree becomes known as Emancipation Oak, symbolizing the beginning of the end of slavery in the U.S.

What was the weather like on the day Samuel and Violet gathered under the oak tree?

• Warm and sunny

• Bitter cold

• Rainy and windy

• Hot and humid

What was the significance of the scroll the Union soldier held?

• It was a map of the battlefield

• It was a list of Union soldiers

• It was a letter from a Confederate general

• It was an official announcement from President Lincoln

What did the Emancipation Proclamation declare?

• All slaves in the United States were free

• Slaves in Confederate states were to be freed

• The war was officially over

• New states could not have slavery

Why didn't the Emancipation Proclamation free all slaves immediately?

• It only applied to Confederate states

• It was only a suggestion

• It was not signed by President Lincoln

• It was not recognized by the Union

What was the initial reason President Lincoln declared war?

• To support the Confederacy

• To gain more territory

• To keep the nation whole

• To end slavery

How did the Emancipation Proclamation change the focus of the Civil War?

• It made the war about gaining territory

• It shifted the focus to ending slavery

• It focused on economic growth

• It aimed to support the Confederacy

Who helped recruit African Americans to join the Union Army?

• Abraham Lincoln

• Frederick Douglass

• Ulysses S. Grant

• Robert E. Lee

What roles did African American women take on during the Civil War?

• Farmers and merchants

• Nurses, spies, and scouts

• Soldiers and generals

• Politicians and diplomats

What is the significance of the Emancipation Oak?

• It was the site of the Union's surrender

• It was where President Lincoln gave his inaugural address

• It was the first place the Emancipation Proclamation was read on Confederate territory

• It was where the first battle of the Civil War took place

What does the Spirit of Freedom statue commemorate?

• The African American soldiers who served in the Civil War

• The end of the Civil War

• The founding of the United States

• The signing of the Declaration of Independence