The Emancipation Proclamation 15.3

Why it matters President Lincoln was reluctant to abolish slavery but he changed his mind. This altered the nature of the Civil War and the lives of African Americans and the future of the USA.

Emancipating the Enslaved At the start of the war, Lincoln feared freeing the slaves would panic many Northerners and he would loose the Border States (Slave states that stayed in the USA). Lincoln began to realize how important slaves were to the South’s War effort. ? How would slaves contribute to the Southern war effort?

Lincoln waits for an opportunity to free the slaves His cabinet members advised him to wait until a battlefield victory. ? Why should Lincoln wait for a victory to issue freedom to the slaves in rebellion states?

A Famous Proclamation September 22, 1862 after Lee’s retreat from Antietam, Lincoln puts plans in place to issue the Emancipation Proclamation to be put in place on January 1, 1863. It freed slaves only in areas that were fighting the Union. States that were no longer in rebellion or never was in rebellion were not part of this emancipation. WHY?

Questions for points When did this proclamation go into effect? Month, day and year. Who does this emancipate? Why does it now free a slave in the City of New Orleans? Why could this proclamation be deemed Unconstitutional?

African Americans Help the Union All though many African Americans were often free in the North, they did not receive equal treatment. African Americans were unable to volunteer to join the army until after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Volunteering for Service 180,000 African Americans served in the Union army or navy. Most were freed slaves or runaway slaves Navy: Black and White sailors served together on ships Army: The African Americans served in all- black regiments with lower pay Many African Americans worked for the war cause in many ways: cooks, trench diggers, etc.

Resisting Slavery Many slaves did what they could to resist slavery They would work slow or would damage equipment Often they would refuse to work even when punished.