The Emancipation Proclamation - 1863 Abraham Lincoln Redefines the Goals of the Union

September 22nd, 1862 The Emancipation Proclamation was originally issued on September 22, 1862. Lincoln understood that his ability to ban slavery was limited by his role as the commander-in-chief of the United States Military. He waited for a victory over the Confederacy to issue the order, mostly because he did not wish to appear desperate. Lincoln did not want to appear to be calling for a violent slave uprising, either. The Emancipation Proclamation was a military measure only.

The Battle of Antietam

Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation Abraham Lincoln’ s Emancipation Proclamation only applies to areas in the Confederacy which were in active rebellion against the authority of the United States. Where there was no rebellion, the executive order did not apply. Lincoln carefully enumerated the places where there was no rebellion actively taking place. Where there was no rebellion, slavery persisted. This included the border states, which stayed in the Union.

Lincoln’s Justification of the Order Lincoln stated in his speech that his power to emancipate the slaves came “by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion.” Indeed, Lincoln was so concerned that his executive order would not be upheld, that he fought hard to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution before the end of the war.

Where were the Slaves not Freed? Parts of Virginia where the rebellion was already put down. Parts of Louisiana near the city of New Orleans and along the Mississippi River. Tennessee – the entire state is neglected from the list.

Slavery in Hampton Roads Continues Abraham Lincoln specifically excluded the Hampton Roads region from his list of areas where slaves would be freed. Our region, included this places: Elizabeth City County (Hampton) Norfolk, VA Portsmouth, VA Princess Ann County Lincoln misspelled Princess Anne County, which today is our fair city: Virginia Beach, VA.

Lincoln’s Advice to the Freedmen “And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defense; and I recommend to them that, in all cases 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.”

January 1st, 1863 Although it was issued in the autumn of 1862 after the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln did not put the Emancipation Proclamation into effect until over one hundred days had passed. This was to give the Confederate States actively in rebellion against the Union the opportunity to reconsider – and to consider the consequences of the continued war effort.

The men who signed the Emancipation William Seward – Secretary of State Abraham Lincoln – US President

Results of the Emancipation Proclamation – January 1, 1863 First, the goal of the Union was changed, in order to emancipate the slaves. Even Union soldiers who did not support abolitionism valued the Emancipation Proclamation was a way to punish rebellious Southerners. To Lincoln, emancipating slaves satisfied two goals: it hurt the Confederacy by denying them their labor supply – slaves could now run away. In addition, by inviting the enslaved to serve in the Union Army and Navy, he strengthened his own military. Perhaps most importantly, this: both England and France abhorred slavery. They were very unlikely to support a war in the name of preserving slavery in the Confederacy. In this sense, Lincoln prevented the South from gaining an ally.