The emancipation proclamation had given most grief to the South being that they were limited in numbers as compared to the North. The problem that the South had with the emancipation was that they would lose their allies who they commonly trade with (France and Britain). The reason why the two ceased to aid the South was simply because it would give them an image of being proslavery which basically made the South continue the war without much support if any to carry through, this was a factor that dropped the Southern economy and now having to deal with most slaves leaving, the South was dying economically. In addition Lincoln’s intentions were to get the Southern slave to turn on their owners to help the North win the war. The proclamation made slaves side with the North because if the North were to win the war it would result into their freedom. I believe that Lincoln’s intentions lead more to giving the South disadvantages and not much as freeing the slaves, Lincoln in fact was against the idea of whites and blacks coming together. I think that Lincoln initially wanted the slaves to respond to the proclamation of their freedom by turning on their owners in order to shorten the war in favor of the North. The war was essentially about keeping the Union together but Lincoln made it a fight for the slaves and allowed them to join the Union Army.
The Emancipation Proclamation was seen as a way to stop the slavery within the country, but that had not freed each one. It freed only a portion of the slave population. The South, though dependent on the slaves, had really lost all of the support they had. Their own slaves had turned against them and joined the Union army, the majority at least, and fought against them. Lincoln had not even wanted to completely save the slaves, just preserve the Union. It was all an effort to keep the country as one whole rather than two. The proclamation had been the document that was attempted to keep the United States as that, the United States. Slaves had retaliated against their former owners after they gained the support from the North, knowing that they were free in such an area.
The Emancipation Proclamation had many effects on the course of the war. The Emancipation Proclamation was a real problem in the south, due to the fact that the countries who they thought would help them would not because of that proclamation. So if the countries supported the confederacy they would basically be saying that they were supporting slavery. Also the emancipation proclamation would be giving the slaves something that the wanted, which was freedom. This would mean that they would try to help the union as much as possible even if it meant going against their masters, who if they caught them then they would beat them for trying to help. This proclamation also helped the north because sometimes the slaves would leave the plantation and help the union army, also with the leaving this would destroy the south’s economy due to the fact that they would no longer have anyone to harvest the crops they had
I love how the Professor always ends his lectures in a dramatic way. But anyways; The Emancipation Proclamation received negative feedback not only from the South but also from Northerners and even members of Lincoln’s own party. Although slavery was the main cause of the Civil War, the reason Northern soldiers fought the Civil War was not necessarily for the abolishment of slavery but as an attempt to preserve the Union. This document also caused the hesitation of foreign nations to assist the South, like Xar said, because they would then be sending the message to D.C. that they support slavery and would then cause conflicts economically and politically - economically because trading would be affected and politically because tensions would arise among those (countries) who assisted the Confederacy and would then be viewed as a threat. Luckily, European powers followed good ol’ George Washington’s example and stayed clear of our own civl revolution just like we did during the French’s. The Emancipation Proclamation also helped Union forces receive a surplus of volunteer soldiers. Finally being legally freed, most freedmen saw no need to stay in their captive plantations and took the risk of officially experiencing freedom, just like the man the Professor talked about, Wallace Turnage. Risk of course, took the form of wether or not they would be caught and punished, or if they did make it out, would they survive until they reached Union lines? Would they find work, shelter, the opportunities to start a new life? However, the chance of freedom came mostly only wherever the Union army was at, where relief and aid was not as challenging to receive, unlike having to escape slaveholders, pass Confederacy troops, and travel to the nearest Union campsite.
The Emancipation Proclamation had a tremendous effect on the Civil War, as it completely changed the course of it. The purpose of the North was now to conquer the South, destroy its social structure, and do so by taking the slaves which the Confederacy’s economy had depended on for so long. The Emancipation Proclamation was also an attempt to further unite the Union, and Abraham Lincoln did so by making sure that the slave owners of the border states were not affected. He also proclaimed that it was not a matter of morality, rather than a legal matter in which the Union was simply taking the property of their enemy, in order to diminish the concerns of the Northerners who weren’t fighting for liberty. The Emancipation Proclamation also gave the North more manpower, as freed slaves were willing to fight for the Union, giving the North more of an advantage, and severely affecting the South, which had a considerably smaller military and population. The proclamation was essentially the last straw needed for the North to conquer the South in the easiest way possible, gain support, and manpower.
Through the video the emancipation of the proclamation to show that not all ideas were the same what was in the proclamation through other peoples response seems as if it was no good use did give uprising into other areas just not the south. What it became was in idea then lead to an act to something symbolic for the African Americans at the end of the war. Which later became to an advantage to them for certain things due how the interpretation of the emancipation was worded in the terms the people themselves would understand of what it was really saying. The emancipation was an idea that expanded throughout the African Americans then the north then something significant to the end of the war as a new beginning for them.
The Empancipation Proclomation's meaning, as stated by the professor, will forever be debated in our society. On one side, we could ask ourselves, "Did it really have any effect? Who did it really free? Why didn't Licoln free the border states that were still in the Union?". Although this debate can be argued from both perspectives, there is no denying that this was an important document in our history. As the professor read the second paragraph of the Empancipation Proclomation, I thought to myself, Licoln must be creating this document in order to give the North sort of an "upperhand". And although this document didn't free many slaves, it gave hope to blacks, because in their eyes, the government was giving them freedom. The specifics of the document to them, wasn't as important as what it represented and brought along with it. Just the thought of freedom, made blacks begin to sign up for the militia faster (as it was now legal). Blacks made up 10% of the Union forces by the end of the Civil War. This shows that the Empancipation Proclimation in fact, did have an effect on the Civil War. It gave blacks the hope and opprotunity to act for their freedom. The government basically was "dangling a carrot in front of a donkey"; they passed the Emancipation Proclomation, which did little to nothing. However, in the eyes of slaves, little was better than nothing. The fact that the government was now actually DOING something to free blacks, gave them a greater drive to obtain it. That along with their new ability to join the Union militia, increased the Union's numbers, and gave the North yet another advantage over the South.
The emancipation was never really meant to free all the slaves in all of the country but rather it was meant to free all the ones in the confederate states. It was also meant to cause some rebellion in the south within the working slaves which were basically the base on which the south’s economy was based. This move had put the south’s economy into a state of paralysis since most of its workforce had either just walked off or refused to work. But it had another side effect which was a little less immediate which had to do with their trading partners (France and Britain). The effect was that since the nation had pretty much declared that slavery was bad the trading partners didn’t want to be affiliated with slavers.
In my opinion the emancipation proclamation had two different effects. On one side you have the perception of the slaves on the emancipation and the true outcome. Then you have the perception of the confederates and unionist towards the emancipation and the outcome towards them. First, you have the slave’s perception on the emancipation. The emancipation symbolized freedom and brought them hope. The man from the lecture even mentioned that these slaves risked a lot of their survival necessities such as shelter, family, and the fact they weren’t guaranteed a job or rights but they still fought in the war. Due to their idea and interpretation of the emancipation they had an outcome in a positive aspect to some extent. These slaves were eventually offered some kind of job, an example is when the black women were offered jobs as nurses, therefore proving that there was some kind of positive outcome for the slaves. Now, though there was some benefit for the slaves there was still discrimination, and slaves were not treated with equality but they were offered opportunities to some a wide extent, even if the emancipation was not about slavery in the perception of the slaves it was. Now, the union and confederates did not believe that the emancipation about slavery. As the man from the lecture mentioned it several times the unionist believed the emancipation and the war revolved around the fear of the union separating. The war was more about disagreements within the politic perspective. The slaves could never see it in that aspect due to the fact that they were not involved or exposed to political disagreements. But because the unionist and confederates saw the emancipation proclamation as something that could either break or build their economy, government, and society, they never saw the freedom aspect in it because they did not believe it wasn’t about slavery. Therefore, the outcome was obviously in war, violence, discrimination, and of course a large amount of disagreements. In all the main outcome of the emancipation for the white was amount of disagreements to several extents causing the war. The emancipation did not cause war, the disagreements of the white men caused war due to the emancipation.
I can definitely agree that the motive behind the Emancipation Proclamation was to give North an advantage by gaining support from the slaves. It resulted in hurting South’s economy, by motivating the slaves to rebel against their owners and to leave the factories in which they worked would hurt manufacturing, as well as the farming that supported the crops that fed the confederate soldiers. Another effect the proclamation ultimately had on the war was that the South lost European aid because Britain and France did not want to interfere or provoke a war over slavery. North also got an advantage by freeing the slaves because African Americans were allowed to join the Union army, which made South weaker because the Union army was larger than the South’s military. Abraham Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves as a weapon to win the war for the sole purpose of preserving the Union; essentially vital to the Civil War.
I can definitely agree that the motive behind the Emancipation Proclamation was to give North an advantage by gaining support from the slaves. It resulted in hurting South’s economy, by motivating the slaves to rebel against their owners and to leave the factories in which they worked would hurt manufacturing, as well as the farming that supported the crops that fed the confederate soldiers. Another effect the proclamation ultimately had on the war was that the South lost European aid because Britain and France did not want to interfere or provoke a war over slavery. North also got an advantage from the freed slaves because African Americans were allowed to join the Union army, which made South weaker because the Union army was larger than the South’s military. Abraham Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves as a weapon to win the war for the sole purpose of preserving the Union; essentially vital to the Civil War
I can definitely agree that the motive behind the Emancipation Proclamation was to give North an advantage by gaining support from the slaves. It resulted in hurting South’s economy, by motivating the slaves to rebel against their owners and to leave the factories in which they worked would hurt manufacturing, as well as the farming that supported the crops that fed the confederate soldiers. Another effect the proclamation ultimately had on the war was that the South lost European aid because Britain and France did not want to interfere or provoke a war over slavery. North also got an advantage from the freed slaves because African Americans were allowed to join the Union army, which made South weaker because the Union army was larger than the South’s military. Abraham Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves as a weapon to win the war for the sole purpose of preserving the Union; essentially vital to the Civil War.
As we know, the Souths’ perhaps greatest weakness was the fact that it was made up of a lot of blacks. They worked in the fields and even fought in the confederate army so if they were to be taken out of their equation, the south was sure to fail. This was exactly what the Union knew and capitalized on for by using the Emancipation Proclamation, they were able to stop all the souths’ industry and reduce its army by freeing and taking their slaves. The union made themselves sound so heroic and ideal to the blacks. This is what got many of them to come over to the north. Blacks were also starting to join the union army which made that a greater loss for the south. Not only did the union succeed in reducing the souths’ army’s and killing most of its’ industry, but it ruined its relationships with France and Britain. Foreign countries were aware of what the situation was on this side of the Atlantic and would have been crazy to continue to provide aid to the south. If they did, they would have perhaps caused things to escalade and possibly bring war bring war to them as well. The Emancipation Proclamation maybe wasn’t created to end the war completely but perhaps to just really nick the souths’ Achilles heel. The north eliminated the main contributing factor to the south and therefore made themselves the superior. It was a smart move by the north; in fact they capitalized on the one deadliest flaw of the south that really allowed the north to finish off the war with the south. If it had not been done, the scale would have not been tipped and the war may have continued for another while until a type of Emancipation Proclamation was written or some kind of war damaging or ending blow was given.
One of the effects of the emancipation proclamation, and most obvious, is how black slaves enlisted in the army. 180,000 men in the army is vital to win a war and the south was at a huge disadvantage considering their population was mostly black. Taking their assets is smart as well. It is almost enticing for the black slaves to escape to the north and join the union army, which would, in effect, destroy the economy for the south. Defining the "open rebellion" scenario and guaranteeing protection to northern slavery would pull some people back to union relations as well. Relations with foreign nations were also strained with the proclamation since the north had identified that they were still in control. Initiating a total war effect would also prove successful due to sherman's march through georgia which would arrive later in the war. However, even though it did many things for the north, I would have to disagree with my classmates that it brought hope. It was military strategy to win the war, and wasn't intended to do such a thing. It didn't break up the confederacy of end the war, it just set up a blueprint for success. The war also made all the soldiers realize that the war had turn into a slavery war. All of the generals weren't exactly pleased with that idea either. Emancipation didn’t extend everywhere. Only in the Border States and those inflicted with war. So The emancipation wasn’t too strong in the deep south, where slavery really mattered. Trying to enforce laws would prove immensely difficult for union forces, just because not everyone supported it. Finally, the war, in a sense, freed more blacks in the south than the emancipation. Blacks were actually put to work in the south. They weren’t freed granted, but they were working other jobs. The war freed people and even if the south won, the value of the blacks had been recognized, and a new revolution would’ve happened.
Okay so I watched the lecture and forgot to respond to the question! Anyways.. As the professor had stated in lecture 13, the North had figured out that they would only win the war if they destroyed the South’s system which was slavery and that is exactly what Lincoln did! The Emancipation Proclamation’s main purpose was, as the professor stated, not to free the slaves. That is why not many slaves were freed with this document because if the purpose was to free the slaves then Lincoln would have. Anyways, Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation just to help the union army out. I believe it completely changed the view on the war because to some they felt like they were fighting to free the slaves and to others they knew the document would help them out.I found it funny how in the letter that Lincoln wrote, he pretty much calls union officers stupid, well in a nice way, for saying that they would not fight for freeing slaves. Lincoln tells them that he was helping them conserve the union because slaves would now be attracted to the union. Therefore, weakening the South and strengthening the North. The South was very upset at the Emancipation Proclamation because the union was taking their property away; they claimed the document was unconstitutional. Lincoln though, made clear that in the constitution, because he was the commander and chief in a time of war, he had total right of taking the enemy’s property and friends and so that is what he did. As a result, the South was being weakened because slaves were constantly running away to try to reach union forces. As for the union, black regiments were being formed enlarging the union army. For the slave, they didn’t care that the emancipation proclamation freed only some slaves. They only cared that the U.S government had made an attempt to free the slaves. They knew that somewhere along the lines they were going to be free and so they didn’t have anything against the proclamation. Mostly all slaves attempted many times to go behind Union lines. The ones that made it either joined the army or worked as nurses in black hospitals etc. Overall, the Emancipation proclamation had positive effects for the Union and the Slaves and a negative effect down in the South.
With the Emancipation Proclamation intact, it seemed as if the war took a turning point. As stated in the lecture, the Executive government and army now had to recognize these former slaves as people, and accept their freedom. Of course, each section and separate group of the nation saw this document differently. As word of the document spread rapidly throughout the nation, things changed for the nation. For one, foreign bonds with other nations changed for the U.S. (both for the South and North). Their recognition as a nation, and former bonds they once had was now different as slaves were now set to be free. In terms of the military, recruitment of black men was increased greatly throughout the Union, practically creating a large portion of former slaves to now make up the army. In the South, slaves were of course seen as property and now they felt that the Union was taking a part of their lives away. People began to question what the true purpose of this war was now, and why they had taken the actions they did. For the Union, this was a forward progression of liberating the nation. Upon bringing the Emancipation Proclamation into act, there were many factors that applied to how powerful and affecting it was throughout the entire nation. A big factor was the role of the geographic influence. Wherever the armies went was wherever the opportunity of freedom was given to the slaves. This played a major role in why the majority of slaves weren’t free until the end of war. As professor Blight put it, the movement of the army meant the movement of slaves. Through the process of occupation by the Union throughout the South, other important factors included the character of slave society within that region, where the conquest would happen first and distribute, and what actual policy was being enforced by the troops throughout the region. For slaves, this was the opportunity to a new, free life where they could now feel like a true citizen of the country, and take place in society as an actual person. However, it also meant the chance of risk and willing to take a chance through bravery. Former slaves saw it as a time of true happiness and opportunity within their own nation. The Emancipation Proclamation was a brutal process, but transformed the purpose of war into conquest at whole and would now only end in unconditional surrender by means of the social and economic world, and as a nation entirely.
I have to agree with Kristie and many of others on the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation was not intended to free the slaves but more to help the Union Army out. The perception though was different throughout the country, the slave perception and the Union and Confederate perception. The slave population didn’t care so much about the details like the rest of the Union and Confederate states did. They only cared that the United States government had said that they were going to be free. Their perception of the Emancipation Proclamation was freedom and that the government was going to act on what was said. The Union took it as a new take on the war, whether they liked it or not. The Proclamation was giving them a new cause to the war, for the freedom of blacks and that of protecting their own home. Lincoln made the war a war of conquest in which the conquest of the Confederacy would be on its social and economic institutions. The perception of the Union was decided by Lincoln, whether they liked they proclamation or not, stating that the slaves were property of the South and that it was their duty to take their assets thus making it a legal argument. The Confederate perception also changed because they now had something more to lose, they had a cause that they were losing when the Emancipation Proclamation was sent out. The freedom of slaves also mattered on where they were located, the region and the geography. The Emancipation Proclamation helped free some slaves but it helped the Union bring the slaves over to their side and have them in their Army, giving them an upper hand in the war and helping them with their perception of the document.
The Emancipation Proclamation effected Northern warfare in a positive way and seemed to diminish Southern strength and war efforts. The most obvious gain for the North was the increase in soldiers for the Union with the, now primary, conquest goals of the North and the freeing of slaves. An interesting paradox occurred in the Union, however. Even the people in the North who were not in agreement with the Emancipation Proclamation, for they were fighting for the preservation of the Union, not slavery, seemed to go along with the document created by Lincoln. An example of this contradictory occurrence is Lincoln’s public letter to James Conkling, and avid anti-Emancipationist. Conkling believed that Union soldiers should be fighting purely for the preservation of the nation, however, Lincoln convinced him, and others like him, that the Emancipation Proclamation was still a good move for those of their views. The slaves would weaken the Confederacy and add to the Union’s army; the Proclamation was motive for them to fight. In an odd way, the Emancipation Proclamation seemed to unite the Union even stronger and give them a distinct, clearer purpose. It turned the Civil War into a war of conquest and it became a complete attack on Southern institution, which would ultimately lead to an inevitable defeat for the South.
“Emancipation transformed the purpose of the war.” While the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave, it was an important turning point in the war, transforming the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom. Now President Lincoln wasn’t aiming for the obliteration of slavery, but the preservation of the union, also to win then end the war. But then congress and the public grew into believing slavery was wrong and should be a policy of the war effort. As the war went on and there was a need of support for his second running and the war effort, he freed the slaves held in territories still in the union. He thought that if he could get slaves in the south to realize that a northern victory meant their freedom, he could shorten the war by having them turn against south. Also by Lincoln doing this, he would prevent the other countries from taking a stand until the war could be further resolved, for example the European powers were close to give the confederacy help. He was issued to put the declaration when the war was over to promote his strengthens and not cause too much tension between the north and south. Once Lincoln pronounced the act, Abolitionist figured out that the proclamation did not free owned slave in states residing in rebellion. Which I see was a desired effect of creating confusion in the south and depriving the Confederacy of much of its valuable laboring force. Now every forward step of the Union armies is a liberating step, they now have total control of winning the war, and even thought it began as a war of preserving the Union it ended as not only gathering the country, but congregation of the human race. The north began weak and could’ve lost the war, but it gave manpower to the free slaves and in some strange way won. In my opinion, if slaves where free in the south as in the north, the South could’ve took over the North, but yet again both sides would’ve been assembled better and we wouldn’t have a war.
The Emancipation Proclamation was the starting point that changed the course of war for the north and south and based on the results although messy, it was the key document that helped in the freeing of slaves. After Lincoln issued this proclamation, it was undeniably evident that the war was about the institution of slavery, and the idea of keeping the union together was only a part of this factor not the actual issue. In Lincolns letter to Conkling, he made it clear that he was taking the South’s assets really, (considering the fact that slaves were seen as property and merely nothing more) and since the war is really about slavery, he being the Commander in Chief really was taking the best route in keeping the Union together. To preserve the union meant to take away the thing that the South was fighting for. If the South had no slaves then they had nothing. Their whole basis was on the foundation of slavery. Thus then on this letter (distributed all over the North as well) unified the people and opened eyes of some that didn’t see slavery for what it was. Not only this, but he stated in his letter to Conkling, that if they did this act of freeing the slaves in the Southern states of rebellion, then they would gain more men for the military, and their freeing would be worth it, because the Union would be saved through this and the south inevitably defeated. It was a way of taking the South’s advantages, and turning them into the North’s advantages. This would help the North man power wise, military wise, and growth wise. In a way the Proclamation was making the Black people their allies rather than their enemies. It was really a strategy move that harbored many advantages for the North and weakened the South in the same ways it benefited the North, just flipped around. To say this Proclamation ended the conflict is a bit of a stretch or the thing that changed everything is untrue. It was merely a foot in the door of the freeing of slaves, because as stated in the video plantations were still going on during this time and some industries in southern states that weren’t in open rebellion were economically continuing. For the blacks it mattered (free or slave) that the Union had recognized that the war was about slavery and had finally acted in the issue of slavery. This act affected the Union as a whole in every motive now in their military, navy and society, leading the course of the War in a path based on slavery.
The Emancipation Proclamation turned out to be a great tactical move. It helped cripple the economic structure of the South and increased the amount of able bodied troupes ready to fight for the North. It helped slow down the South's ability to produce goods and sustain their crops, crops that had once kept their economy moving. Though it was an excellent strategy it definitely had its drawbacks. The Union just wasn’t prepared for the upsurge in Black citizens. Hundreds of slaves were leaving the South during the liberation process and ended up in Union camps. Generals had no clue on how to handle the situation. Does he put them to work? Ask them to enlist? How was he supposed to feed them? Though it would eventually help them win the war, the Emancipation Proclamation took a while to show any effective damage to the South. It also showed an interesting role change for a lot of Americans. Once you had regiments of freed black men fighting for the Union a lot of soldiers weren't sure how to react to them. Sure it was a legitimate fighting force but just the other day these were men that had once worked for you. It was intimidating knowing that these men were fighting against the oppression you put them through just weeks earlier.
I think the Emancipation proclamation had a big effect on the course of the civil war mainly because it changed the purpose of the war. This shocked many people and caused opposition from both the north and the south because now this wasn't as much of a war to bring the union together as it was a conquest war and now the union was on a position to take liberating steps. Other effects of the emancipation proclamation were things such as making the US government now committed to enforcing this legal action of emancipation. The document also caused any foreign help to become hesitant towards helping the confederacy, and lastly the news spreading everywhere, causing many freed slaves from the south to head to union lines making the south have an even bigger disadvantage as far as numbers go. In the end this legal action from Lincoln began the new part of the civil war that turned into pure conquest and meant that one side would have to end in unconditional surrender and since this also caused many disadvantages for the confederacy it would lead to the inevitable defeat for them.
In the south, the majority of the labor force and the very heart of its economy was ran on slavery. The union knew this very well and acted upon it. Lincoln decided to kill the very foundation of the south. By freeing the slaves, he was able to cripple the south by having slaves freed. This meant more soldiers for the Union army. Now with the heart of the confederacy shattered his provided optimal opportunity for The Union to to strike. As a side note, Abraham Lincoln did not free the slaves because he felt bad for them, no it was all a military strategy, which ultimately led them to win the war.
The Emancipation Proclamation was meant as a war strategy, used only to free the slaves in the confederacy to incite the now freedmen to join the union and rebel against the confederacy. While the slaves in the border states that were still part of the union still remained slaves. So Lincoln's speech was just a war tactic not an act by him for the better of slaves, he used it to help tilt the sides of the war further in the Union's favor so they could end this Civil War as soon as possible. This document was used to cause slave rebellions within the confederacy to help weaken them as well as adding the now freedmen into the union army to fight for the union and the freedom of the rest of the slaves in the South. The document had also been used to help show to the current slaves and now freedmen that the U.S. government acknowledged that they were free and would help spread freedom all across the United States despite what the people would want, as well as discouraging foreign countries from lending aid to the Confederacy.
The Emancipation Proclamation transformed the purpose of the Civil War. For the Northerners the purpose of the war wasn’t necessarily for the freeing of slave but to preserve the union. Now every forward step of the union would be a liberating step whether they liked it or not. However some Northerners were still firm in saying statements such as "I ain't fighting to free the slaves. I'm fighting to preserve the Union, thank you very much.” Another thing the Emancipation caused in the Civil war was the recruitment of black men into the Union Armies and Navy and to officially use Union uniform. And before the war will end about ten percent of all union forces will be African American approximately 180,000. This gave the Union more leverage in the Civil war. The last effect the Emancipation Proclamation caused was the increase of fights and movement towards Union lines by freed people. Because of the freeing of the slaves they became more ambitious when fighting and even Confederates said they first heard about the Emancipation Proclamation form their slaves. In the end the Proclamation caused a change of perspective of the Civil War, recruitment of black men into Union armies, and an increase of motivation for freed slaves.
The Emancipation Proclamation was not a document that freed all slaves. It was a military strategy by Abraham Lincoln. He only declared that the slaves from the states that had seceded were to be freed. Lincoln did not include the border states, because he knew this would be a disadvantage to the union. Lincoln stated that it was the Union’s right to take away their slaves because it was the enemy’s property, which they could rightfully take in time of war. The Emancipation also allowed for slaves to join the union army, therefore increasing the amount of soldier’s in the union to an even greater extent. Another effect that the emancipation had was that it encouraged slaves to strike against slavery. Some slaves from the south fled to the north to become free slaves. Another great advantage that the Emancipation Proclamation gave to the Union, was that it demonstrated to foreign nations that the Union still had the control over the south. Therefore, any possibilities that the south would receive aid disappeared. Finally, the Emancipation established that the war was not only about keeping the union together, but it was also a war that would abolish slavery in the south.
Okay so all I understood from this lecture was that the emancipation proclamation was just a military tactic. I understood that it was to free all slaves that were in rebellion. Why this was done im not entirely sure. All I know is that it wasn’t really all that many slaves that were freed. The Proclamation did not compensate the owners, did not itself outlaw slavery, and did not make the ex-slaves citizens. Because of this I question Lincoln for doing this. It took effect except in locations where the Union had already mostly regained control. The reason Lincoln did this was to help the union and not to free the slaves. However it angered the southerners because they took it as just the, to free the slaves. Some slaves fleed from the south to become free men but they failed to realize that Lincoln didn’t really grant rights to freed slaves. They were basically just wanted to help in the war. By the end of the war the proclamation was not only to prove that the north still had power over the south, it proved that by the end the war was also to abolish slavery.
The Emancipation Proclamation was not a document made just to maintain the Union together. The Emancipation was also a military strategy to acquire support from slaves by letting them join the Union army, making more weak the South. Approximately 180,000 blacks from the slave states joined the Union army. Another aspect that made the South weaker was that they lost the support from Britain and France because if these countries supported the south that would mean that they support slavery and would have caused political and economic problems with the north. Whites in the South didn't liked this document but also some people from the North did not liked it because they said how they were going to fight to make free the blacks. At the end this document ended up as a weapon to defeat the South by making the slaves free.
“While standing at the bank of the James River on the soil of Ol’ Virginia the mother state of slavery as a witness of such a sudden reverse the day’s clear the fields of grain are beautiful and birds sing sweet melodious songs while poor Mr. Clayton was crying to his servants”; this captures the revolution and primary source that establishes a witnessed alteration of history through the environment that once held the bondage of slaves which is now inevitably on the pathway to a metamorphosis through the evidence of words. The Emancipation Proclamation marked the pathway for change of the intentions established of the Civil War. The main objective of the North was to preserve and maintain the power of the Union. Every decision made to keep the union was apt to the liberation and progression of the slaves. This strategic battle manual was used to obtain the force of the Union , therefore this caused the authorization of the recruitment of blacks into the Navy and Union Army entailing the support of freedmen towards the prominent North that allowed an advantage in the Civil War. The news of the Proclamation spread South and led to the increased movement to the Union; blacks supported the advocates of their freedom and fought determined to keep their liberty.
The Emancipation Proclamation clearly gave a political and numerical advantage to the Union during the war against the Confederacy. In January 1, 1863, 50,000 slaves were released immediately after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The North now had a new weapon to fight the war with In May of 1863, the Union started the recruitment of black soldiers to into the army. By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men, 10% of the Union Army, served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. Nearly 40,000 black soldiers died over the course of the war, 30,000 of infection or disease. Prior to the enlistments of freedmen in the Union Army, the North started gaining ground in the conflict as they had supplied themselves with bigger man power and were now using the freed slave’s desire of revenge against the Confederacy to their advantage. Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation gave a considerable military advantage to the Union.
An interesting topic that cam up in the lecture was how slaves were determined whether they were free or not and how they contributed in the North winning the war. Many slaves went to Union Armies because of the conquer of the Mississippi River. The two war leaders, Sherman and Grant, couldn’t decide what to do with the slaves coming from the South. I believe that the slaves serving under the Union were considered free because it meant more men at arms, less of the white males in the front lines, and population advantage. One of the factors that the professor mentioned in the lecture was on how slaves had legal statuses when they were put in the front lines. Usually, black males were considered free at the spot because of their service in the army. Making these slaves free was an advantage for the Union, because many southern plantations were being abandoned or destroyed because of the amount of slaves being sent up North. A key factor is slavery and because of it, the Confederacy weakened and the North made a logic decision on managing these slaves in the North.
One thing that I did find interesting was the idea that only slaves in the states that seceded, or that were in the debate of if they had legally seceded, were the slaves emancipated. This to me doesn’t seem like the most effective way to keep the union together, but to break up the confederacy from its soldiers to the regular inhabitants of the southern states. Many of the Slave owners were “refugeeing” their slaves to the western states fleeing from no man’s land, and even from the confederate frontier. Although Abraham Lincoln didn’t have much military experience, the idea of emancipation, which was not his, gave the Union a great advantage. Also those against emancipation in a way helped the motivation of the union soldiers and later the black regiment soldiers. Interestingly enough the newly freed blacks did not concern themselves with the “details” or the fine print of the document. This doesn’t make much sense to me, but then again even if there was a disagreement in the document I don’t believe that the freed blacks would be in any position to argue the -military order- I am not saying it was unfair but the lecture nevers concludes any idea as to why this is. -Marcos
The professor discussed many effects that the Emancipation Proclamation had on the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation was important because it was a military move and the Army and Navy now had to recognize and maintain the freedom of slaves and could do no acts to repress such persons in any act they might make for their actual freedom. Even though it was a very limited document, a majority of the black population didn’t care about the details, but took much interest in the face that the U.S. government had acted and said that they were going to be free. One of the immediate visible effects was that every forward step the Union army took would be a liberating step because they now had orders to do so. Another effect was that news of the proclamation spread like wildfire throughout the South and brought about increased movement toward Union lines by freed people. Most Confederate soldiers and white southerners first heard about the Emancipation Proclamation from their slaves. Another effect was that it committed the United States government in the eyes of the world. That was important because Britain was actually on the verge of recognizing the Confederacy which would’ve gone on to change the outcome of the war. Lincoln also authorized the recruitment of black men into the U.S armies and navies. He also authorized a formal process to recruit black men to the Union uniform. This affected the war because before the war ended, 10% of Union soldiers were black. These soldiers provided even more man power for the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation also transformed the purpose of the war. It made the Civil War a war of conquest with near totality on both sides. This meant that with this totality, the war would only end with unconditional surrender.
The Emancipation Proclamation did not free any slaves itself, however, what it did was putting a light on this topic. Britain was considering entering the war on the site of the confederacy but with the slavery issue it really had to consider its options. With the entering of the very strong British Navy, the confederacy would have been settled with weapons and other important supplies for the war. This is one aspect, but others might say that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves for exactly the reason that it put a light on it. In the end it comes down to one of the few issues in History were there a plenty of arguments on either side but in the end we only know that Britain did not want to get judged as a slavery supporter and that the Proclamation gave many slaves the opportunity to join the Union.
The were many effects due to the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation was intended to mainly help out the union army. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all the slaves everywhere, it only freed some of them. By freeing these slaves, many of them joined the Northern military forces leaving the South at a major disadvantage. The South continued to hurt due to the fact that slaves ran to join the Union forces. Overall the Emancipation strengthened the North and greatly weakened the South. The proclamation, personally, drove slaves and gave them a sense of...hope if you will. The EP didn't necessarily free all slaves, but it made "an attempt." Just as Mr. Serrato had mentioned in a discussion, the Emancipation was a strategy, a military one at that.
Lincoln established the emancipation proclamation in July 1863 which freed only slaves in an open rebellion, even though it didn’t free all slaves it was a good strategy during the civil war. There where two different views the north and the south, where the north had gave a disadvantage to the south. In the lecture it’s concluded that the details in the proclamation didn’t matter to the black folks but that the where going to be given freedom is all that mattered to them. As well the geography did have a part to do with which slaves were freed and was argued that the war was won in the west. The proclamation did enforce a change in the war and permitted black males into the union armies and navy. In the end the war was about slavery and keeping the union together.
The Emancipation Proclamation is in fact an important document during U.S history according to David Blight. It was written to free slaves in rebellion against the U.S. and only them. The question still remains, why only are the rebels set free? What about the slaves in the South? Isn’t it, according to Lincoln, that the South was still part of the Union? Lastly, how about the slaves in the Border States? The Emancipation Proclamation is indeed a military strategy that benefited the North. This was not a friendly gesture toward the African Americans to give them freedom. This document sets the tone for the war. In other words, the North and South are fighting for the social and economic issues of the Confederates or slavery. This document, although it did not free many of the slaves, still became a basis of hope for future events on African American freedom. They didn’t care much about the details on the document but it gave them the reason to fight for freedom. In result, freed slaves joined the army and made up 10% of the Union army.
The Emancipation Proclamation had such a large effect on the war that it changed the whole course of the Civil War. This document set a new goal for the Union. The goal was to free slaves now, and it was no longer about just keeping the Union together like Amber said earlier. Many white northerner were very unhappy with the idea of fighting for slavery even though that was what the entire war was about from the beginning. Many soldiers believed they were fighting to keep the Union together, but Lincoln realized that the slavery is what seperated the north and the south. By getting rid of slavery in the states that had joined the Confederacy (border states w/ slavery were immune to the proclamation), this would weaken the Confederates cause to fight because with no slaves working, there was no reason to continue. Lincoln assured the Union the ridding of slavery was a military strategy because it would weaken the South's economy, and give the Union a bigger army. The Emancipation Proclamation also had a large effect on slaves in the South and even in the border states. Many were not automatically free, and those is in states immune to the proclamation still began to hope because as pointed out before, this was the first time the government was taking a step towards liberating slaves. Slaves began to flee to the Union lines where they hoped to find a better future.
During the war, the Emancipation Proclamation was made to stop slavery but not free them as a whole. Only a percent of the slaves were free, and that was mainly in the North because they were allowed to enlist. In the North they could be seen as free because they were being used as an advantage. They were using them as more armed men and in a way savoring their own (white) men. The slaves had gone against their owners due to the fact that in the North they could consider themselves “free.” At this point Lincoln didn’t want to see the issue of slaves as something to fix, but rather try and hold the Union together. The proclamation had been recorded to attempt the end of slavery only to keep the nation running as one.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a document made to stop slavery within the country, but it didn’t free every single slave. It freed a portion of the slave population. The South dependent on the slaves lost all of the support they had. Most of the slaves they had turned against them and they joined the Union Army and fought against them. The country seemed as if it was divided not as a whole. The proclamation wanted to keep the United States as the United States. The slaves knowing that they were free in the North, they fought against the South using the North’s support. This proclamation also helped the North because the slaves would leave at times the plantation in order to help the union army. With the slaves leaving this destroyed the South’s economy due to the fact that the South won’t have anyone to harvest their crops.
The emancipation proclamation had given most grief to the South being that they were limited in numbers as compared to the North. The problem that the South had with the emancipation was that they would lose their allies who they commonly trade with (France and Britain). The reason why the two ceased to aid the South was simply because it would give them an image of being proslavery which basically made the South continue the war without much support if any to carry through, this was a factor that dropped the Southern economy and now having to deal with most slaves leaving, the South was dying economically. In addition Lincoln’s intentions were to get the Southern slave to turn on their owners to help the North win the war. The proclamation made slaves side with the North because if the North were to win the war it would result into their freedom. I believe that Lincoln’s intentions lead more to giving the South disadvantages and not much as freeing the slaves, Lincoln in fact was against the idea of whites and blacks coming together. I think that Lincoln initially wanted the slaves to respond to the proclamation of their freedom by turning on their owners in order to shorten the war in favor of the North. The war was essentially about keeping the Union together but Lincoln made it a fight for the slaves and allowed them to join the Union Army.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was seen as a way to stop the slavery within the country, but that had not freed each one. It freed only a portion of the slave population. The South, though dependent on the slaves, had really lost all of the support they had. Their own slaves had turned against them and joined the Union army, the majority at least, and fought against them. Lincoln had not even wanted to completely save the slaves, just preserve the Union. It was all an effort to keep the country as one whole rather than two. The proclamation had been the document that was attempted to keep the United States as that, the United States. Slaves had retaliated against their former owners after they gained the support from the North, knowing that they were free in such an area.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation had many effects on the course of the war. The Emancipation Proclamation was a real problem in the south, due to the fact that the countries who they thought would help them would not because of that proclamation. So if the countries supported the confederacy they would basically be saying that they were supporting slavery. Also the emancipation proclamation would be giving the slaves something that the wanted, which was freedom. This would mean that they would try to help the union as much as possible even if it meant going against their masters, who if they caught them then they would beat them for trying to help. This proclamation also helped the north because sometimes the slaves would leave the plantation and help the union army, also with the leaving this would destroy the south’s economy due to the fact that they would no longer have anyone to harvest the crops they had
ReplyDeleteI love how the Professor always ends his lectures in a dramatic way. But anyways;
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation received negative feedback not only from the South but also from Northerners and even members of Lincoln’s own party. Although slavery was the main cause of the Civil War, the reason Northern soldiers fought the Civil War was not necessarily for the abolishment of slavery but as an attempt to preserve the Union.
This document also caused the hesitation of foreign nations to assist the South, like Xar said, because they would then be sending the message to D.C. that they support slavery and would then cause conflicts economically and politically - economically because trading would be affected and politically because tensions would arise among those (countries) who assisted the Confederacy and would then be viewed as a threat. Luckily, European powers followed good ol’ George Washington’s example and stayed clear of our own civl revolution just like we did during the French’s.
The Emancipation Proclamation also helped Union forces receive a surplus of volunteer soldiers. Finally being legally freed, most freedmen saw no need to stay in their captive plantations and took the risk of officially experiencing freedom, just like the man the Professor talked about, Wallace Turnage. Risk of course, took the form of wether or not they would be caught and punished, or if they did make it out, would they survive until they reached Union lines? Would they find work, shelter, the opportunities to start a new life? However, the chance of freedom came mostly only wherever the Union army was at, where relief and aid was not as challenging to receive, unlike having to escape slaveholders, pass Confederacy troops, and travel to the nearest Union campsite.
The Emancipation Proclamation had a tremendous effect on the Civil War, as it completely changed the course of it. The purpose of the North was now to conquer the South, destroy its social structure, and do so by taking the slaves which the Confederacy’s economy had depended on for so long. The Emancipation Proclamation was also an attempt to further unite the Union, and Abraham Lincoln did so by making sure that the slave owners of the border states were not affected. He also proclaimed that it was not a matter of morality, rather than a legal matter in which the Union was simply taking the property of their enemy, in order to diminish the concerns of the Northerners who weren’t fighting for liberty. The Emancipation Proclamation also gave the North more manpower, as freed slaves were willing to fight for the Union, giving the North more of an advantage, and severely affecting the South, which had a considerably smaller military and population. The proclamation was essentially the last straw needed for the North to conquer the South in the easiest way possible, gain support, and manpower.
ReplyDeleteThrough the video the emancipation of the proclamation to show that not all ideas were the same what was in the proclamation through other peoples response seems as if it was no good use did give uprising into other areas just not the south. What it became was in idea then lead to an act to something symbolic for the African Americans at the end of the war. Which later became to an advantage to them for certain things due how the interpretation of the emancipation was worded in the terms the people themselves would understand of what it was really saying. The emancipation was an idea that expanded throughout the African Americans then the north then something significant to the end of the war as a new beginning for them.
ReplyDeleteThe Empancipation Proclomation's meaning, as stated by the professor, will forever be debated in our society. On one side, we could ask ourselves, "Did it really have any effect? Who did it really free? Why didn't Licoln free the border states that were still in the Union?". Although this debate can be argued from both perspectives, there is no denying that this was an important document in our history.
ReplyDeleteAs the professor read the second paragraph of the Empancipation Proclomation, I thought to myself, Licoln must be creating this document in order to give the North sort of an "upperhand". And although this document didn't free many slaves, it gave hope to blacks, because in their eyes, the government was giving them freedom. The specifics of the document to them, wasn't as important as what it represented and brought along with it.
Just the thought of freedom, made blacks begin to sign up for the militia faster (as it was now legal). Blacks made up 10% of the Union forces by the end of the Civil War. This shows that the Empancipation Proclimation in fact, did have an effect on the Civil War. It gave blacks the hope and opprotunity to act for their freedom. The government basically was "dangling a carrot in front of a donkey"; they passed the Emancipation Proclomation, which did little to nothing. However, in the eyes of slaves, little was better than nothing. The fact that the government was now actually DOING something to free blacks, gave them a greater drive to obtain it. That along with their new ability to join the Union militia, increased the Union's numbers, and gave the North yet another advantage over the South.
The emancipation was never really meant to free all the slaves in all of the country but rather it was meant to free all the ones in the confederate states. It was also meant to cause some rebellion in the south within the working slaves which were basically the base on which the south’s economy was based. This move had put the south’s economy into a state of paralysis since most of its workforce had either just walked off or refused to work. But it had another side effect which was a little less immediate which had to do with their trading partners (France and Britain). The effect was that since the nation had pretty much declared that slavery was bad the trading partners didn’t want to be affiliated with slavers.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the emancipation proclamation had two different effects. On one side you have the perception of the slaves on the emancipation and the true outcome. Then you have the perception of the confederates and unionist towards the emancipation and the outcome towards them.
ReplyDeleteFirst, you have the slave’s perception on the emancipation. The emancipation symbolized freedom and brought them hope. The man from the lecture even mentioned that these slaves risked a lot of their survival necessities such as shelter, family, and the fact they weren’t guaranteed a job or rights but they still fought in the war. Due to their idea and interpretation of the emancipation they had an outcome in a positive aspect to some extent. These slaves were eventually offered some kind of job, an example is when the black women were offered jobs as nurses, therefore proving that there was some kind of positive outcome for the slaves. Now, though there was some benefit for the slaves there was still discrimination, and slaves were not treated with equality but they were offered opportunities to some a wide extent, even if the emancipation was not about slavery in the perception of the slaves it was.
Now, the union and confederates did not believe that the emancipation about slavery. As the man from the lecture mentioned it several times the unionist believed the emancipation and the war revolved around the fear of the union separating. The war was more about disagreements within the politic perspective. The slaves could never see it in that aspect due to the fact that they were not involved or exposed to political disagreements. But because the unionist and confederates saw the emancipation proclamation as something that could either break or build their economy, government, and society, they never saw the freedom aspect in it because they did not believe it wasn’t about slavery. Therefore, the outcome was obviously in war, violence, discrimination, and of course a large amount of disagreements. In all the main outcome of the emancipation for the white was amount of disagreements to several extents causing the war. The emancipation did not cause war, the disagreements of the white men caused war due to the emancipation.
I can definitely agree that the motive behind the Emancipation Proclamation was to give North an advantage by gaining support from the slaves. It resulted in hurting South’s economy, by motivating the slaves to rebel against their owners and to leave the factories in which they worked would hurt manufacturing, as well as the farming that supported the crops that fed the confederate soldiers. Another effect the proclamation ultimately had on the war was that the South lost European aid because Britain and France did not want to interfere or provoke a war over slavery. North also got an advantage by freeing the slaves because African Americans were allowed to join the Union army, which made South weaker because the Union army was larger than the South’s military. Abraham Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves as a weapon to win the war for the sole purpose of preserving the Union; essentially vital to the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely agree that the motive behind the Emancipation Proclamation was to give North an advantage by gaining support from the slaves. It resulted in hurting South’s economy, by motivating the slaves to rebel against their owners and to leave the factories in which they worked would hurt manufacturing, as well as the farming that supported the crops that fed the confederate soldiers. Another effect the proclamation ultimately had on the war was that the South lost European aid because Britain and France did not want to interfere or provoke a war over slavery. North also got an advantage from the freed slaves because African Americans were allowed to join the Union army, which made South weaker because the Union army was larger than the South’s military. Abraham Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves as a weapon to win the war for the sole purpose of preserving the Union; essentially vital to the Civil War
ReplyDeleteI can definitely agree that the motive behind the Emancipation Proclamation was to give North an advantage by gaining support from the slaves. It resulted in hurting South’s economy, by motivating the slaves to rebel against their owners and to leave the factories in which they worked would hurt manufacturing, as well as the farming that supported the crops that fed the confederate soldiers. Another effect the proclamation ultimately had on the war was that the South lost European aid because Britain and France did not want to interfere or provoke a war over slavery. North also got an advantage from the freed slaves because African Americans were allowed to join the Union army, which made South weaker because the Union army was larger than the South’s military. Abraham Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves as a weapon to win the war for the sole purpose of preserving the Union; essentially vital to the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteAs we know, the Souths’ perhaps greatest weakness was the fact that it was made up of a lot of blacks. They worked in the fields and even fought in the confederate army so if they were to be taken out of their equation, the south was sure to fail. This was exactly what the Union knew and capitalized on for by using the Emancipation Proclamation, they were able to stop all the souths’ industry and reduce its army by freeing and taking their slaves. The union made themselves sound so heroic and ideal to the blacks. This is what got many of them to come over to the north. Blacks were also starting to join the union army which made that a greater loss for the south. Not only did the union succeed in reducing the souths’ army’s and killing most of its’ industry, but it ruined its relationships with France and Britain. Foreign countries were aware of what the situation was on this side of the Atlantic and would have been crazy to continue to provide aid to the south. If they did, they would have perhaps caused things to escalade and possibly bring war bring war to them as well. The Emancipation Proclamation maybe wasn’t created to end the war completely but perhaps to just really nick the souths’ Achilles heel. The north eliminated the main contributing factor to the south and therefore made themselves the superior. It was a smart move by the north; in fact they capitalized on the one deadliest flaw of the south that really allowed the north to finish off the war with the south. If it had not been done, the scale would have not been tipped and the war may have continued for another while until a type of Emancipation Proclamation was written or some kind of war damaging or ending blow was given.
ReplyDeleteOne of the effects of the emancipation proclamation, and most obvious, is how black slaves enlisted in the army. 180,000 men in the army is vital to win a war and the south was at a huge disadvantage considering their population was mostly black. Taking their assets is smart as well. It is almost enticing for the black slaves to escape to the north and join the union army, which would, in effect, destroy the economy for the south. Defining the "open rebellion" scenario and guaranteeing protection to northern slavery would pull some people back to union relations as well. Relations with foreign nations were also strained with the proclamation since the north had identified that they were still in control. Initiating a total war effect would also prove successful due to sherman's march through georgia which would arrive later in the war.
ReplyDeleteHowever, even though it did many things for the north, I would have to disagree with my classmates that it brought hope. It was military strategy to win the war, and wasn't intended to do such a thing. It didn't break up the confederacy of end the war, it just set up a blueprint for success. The war also made all the soldiers realize that the war had turn into a slavery war. All of the generals weren't exactly pleased with that idea either. Emancipation didn’t extend everywhere. Only in the Border States and those inflicted with war. So The emancipation wasn’t too strong in the deep south, where slavery really mattered. Trying to enforce laws would prove immensely difficult for union forces, just because not everyone supported it.
Finally, the war, in a sense, freed more blacks in the south than the emancipation. Blacks were actually put to work in the south. They weren’t freed granted, but they were working other jobs. The war freed people and even if the south won, the value of the blacks had been recognized, and a new revolution would’ve happened.
Okay so I watched the lecture and forgot to respond to the question! Anyways..
ReplyDeleteAs the professor had stated in lecture 13, the North had figured out that they would only win the war if they destroyed the South’s system which was slavery and that is exactly what Lincoln did! The Emancipation Proclamation’s main purpose was, as the professor stated, not to free the slaves. That is why not many slaves were freed with this document because if the purpose was to free the slaves then Lincoln would have. Anyways, Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation just to help the union army out. I believe it completely changed the view on the war because to some they felt like they were fighting to free the slaves and to others they knew the document would help them out.I found it funny how in the letter that Lincoln wrote, he pretty much calls union officers stupid, well in a nice way, for saying that they would not fight for freeing slaves. Lincoln tells them that he was helping them conserve the union because slaves would now be attracted to the union. Therefore, weakening the South and strengthening the North. The South was very upset at the Emancipation Proclamation because the union was taking their property away; they claimed the document was unconstitutional. Lincoln though, made clear that in the constitution, because he was the commander and chief in a time of war, he had total right of taking the enemy’s property and friends and so that is what he did. As a result, the South was being weakened because slaves were constantly running away to try to reach union forces. As for the union, black regiments were being formed enlarging the union army.
For the slave, they didn’t care that the emancipation proclamation freed only some slaves. They only cared that the U.S government had made an attempt to free the slaves. They knew that somewhere along the lines they were going to be free and so they didn’t have anything against the proclamation. Mostly all slaves attempted many times to go behind Union lines. The ones that made it either joined the army or worked as nurses in black hospitals etc. Overall, the Emancipation proclamation had positive effects for the Union and the Slaves and a negative effect down in the South.
P.S I hate how when I want to seperate two paragraphs it puts it all together and makes it look like a big giant clump!
DeleteWith the Emancipation Proclamation intact, it seemed as if the war took a turning point. As stated in the lecture, the Executive government and army now had to recognize these former slaves as people, and accept their freedom. Of course, each section and separate group of the nation saw this document differently.
ReplyDeleteAs word of the document spread rapidly throughout the nation, things changed for the nation. For one, foreign bonds with other nations changed for the U.S. (both for the South and North). Their recognition as a nation, and former bonds they once had was now different as slaves were now set to be free. In terms of the military, recruitment of black men was increased greatly throughout the Union, practically creating a large portion of former slaves to now make up the army. In the South, slaves were of course seen as property and now they felt that the Union was taking a part of their lives away. People began to question what the true purpose of this war was now, and why they had taken the actions they did. For the Union, this was a forward progression of liberating the nation.
Upon bringing the Emancipation Proclamation into act, there were many factors that applied to how powerful and affecting it was throughout the entire nation. A big factor was the role of the geographic influence. Wherever the armies went was wherever the opportunity of freedom was given to the slaves. This played a major role in why the majority of slaves weren’t free until the end of war. As professor Blight put it, the movement of the army meant the movement of slaves. Through the process of occupation by the Union throughout the South, other important factors included the character of slave society within that region, where the conquest would happen first and distribute, and what actual policy was being enforced by the troops throughout the region. For slaves, this was the opportunity to a new, free life where they could now feel like a true citizen of the country, and take place in society as an actual person. However, it also meant the chance of risk and willing to take a chance through bravery. Former slaves saw it as a time of true happiness and opportunity within their own nation. The Emancipation Proclamation was a brutal process, but transformed the purpose of war into conquest at whole and would now only end in unconditional surrender by means of the social and economic world, and as a nation entirely.
I have to agree with Kristie and many of others on the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation was not intended to free the slaves but more to help the Union Army out. The perception though was different throughout the country, the slave perception and the Union and Confederate perception. The slave population didn’t care so much about the details like the rest of the Union and Confederate states did. They only cared that the United States government had said that they were going to be free. Their perception of the Emancipation Proclamation was freedom and that the government was going to act on what was said. The Union took it as a new take on the war, whether they liked it or not. The Proclamation was giving them a new cause to the war, for the freedom of blacks and that of protecting their own home. Lincoln made the war a war of conquest in which the conquest of the Confederacy would be on its social and economic institutions. The perception of the Union was decided by Lincoln, whether they liked they proclamation or not, stating that the slaves were property of the South and that it was their duty to take their assets thus making it a legal argument. The Confederate perception also changed because they now had something more to lose, they had a cause that they were losing when the Emancipation Proclamation was sent out. The freedom of slaves also mattered on where they were located, the region and the geography. The Emancipation Proclamation helped free some slaves but it helped the Union bring the slaves over to their side and have them in their Army, giving them an upper hand in the war and helping them with their perception of the document.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation effected Northern warfare in a positive way and seemed to diminish Southern strength and war efforts. The most obvious gain for the North was the increase in soldiers for the Union with the, now primary, conquest goals of the North and the freeing of slaves. An interesting paradox occurred in the Union, however. Even the people in the North who were not in agreement with the Emancipation Proclamation, for they were fighting for the preservation of the Union, not slavery, seemed to go along with the document created by Lincoln. An example of this contradictory occurrence is Lincoln’s public letter to James Conkling, and avid anti-Emancipationist. Conkling believed that Union soldiers should be fighting purely for the preservation of the nation, however, Lincoln convinced him, and others like him, that the Emancipation Proclamation was still a good move for those of their views. The slaves would weaken the Confederacy and add to the Union’s army; the Proclamation was motive for them to fight. In an odd way, the Emancipation Proclamation seemed to unite the Union even stronger and give them a distinct, clearer purpose. It turned the Civil War into a war of conquest and it became a complete attack on Southern institution, which would ultimately lead to an inevitable defeat for the South.
ReplyDelete“Emancipation transformed the purpose of the war.” While the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave, it was an important turning point in the war, transforming the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom. Now President Lincoln wasn’t aiming for the obliteration of slavery, but the preservation of the union, also to win then end the war. But then congress and the public grew into believing slavery was wrong and should be a policy of the war effort. As the war went on and there was a need of support for his second running and the war effort, he freed the slaves held in territories still in the union. He thought that if he could get slaves in the south to realize that a northern victory meant their freedom, he could shorten the war by having them turn against south. Also by Lincoln doing this, he would prevent the other countries from taking a stand until the war could be further resolved, for example the European powers were close to give the confederacy help. He was issued to put the declaration when the war was over to promote his strengthens and not cause too much tension between the north and south. Once Lincoln pronounced the act, Abolitionist figured out that the proclamation did not free owned slave in states residing in rebellion. Which I see was a desired effect of creating confusion in the south and depriving the Confederacy of much of its valuable laboring force. Now every forward step of the Union armies is a liberating step, they now have total control of winning the war, and even thought it began as a war of preserving the Union it ended as not only gathering the country, but congregation of the human race. The north began weak and could’ve lost the war, but it gave manpower to the free slaves and in some strange way won. In my opinion, if slaves where free in the south as in the north, the South could’ve took over the North, but yet again both sides would’ve been assembled better and we wouldn’t have a war.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was the starting point that changed the course of war for the north and south and based on the results although messy, it was the key document that helped in the freeing of slaves. After Lincoln issued this proclamation, it was undeniably evident that the war was about the institution of slavery, and the idea of keeping the union together was only a part of this factor not the actual issue. In Lincolns letter to Conkling, he made it clear that he was taking the South’s assets really, (considering the fact that slaves were seen as property and merely nothing more) and since the war is really about slavery, he being the Commander in Chief really was taking the best route in keeping the Union together. To preserve the union meant to take away the thing that the South was fighting for. If the South had no slaves then they had nothing. Their whole basis was on the foundation of slavery. Thus then on this letter (distributed all over the North as well) unified the people and opened eyes of some that didn’t see slavery for what it was. Not only this, but he stated in his letter to Conkling, that if they did this act of freeing the slaves in the Southern states of rebellion, then they would gain more men for the military, and their freeing would be worth it, because the Union would be saved through this and the south inevitably defeated. It was a way of taking the South’s advantages, and turning them into the North’s advantages. This would help the North man power wise, military wise, and growth wise. In a way the Proclamation was making the Black people their allies rather than their enemies. It was really a strategy move that harbored many advantages for the North and weakened the South in the same ways it benefited the North, just flipped around. To say this Proclamation ended the conflict is a bit of a stretch or the thing that changed everything is untrue. It was merely a foot in the door of the freeing of slaves, because as stated in the video plantations were still going on during this time and some industries in southern states that weren’t in open rebellion were economically continuing. For the blacks it mattered (free or slave) that the Union had recognized that the war was about slavery and had finally acted in the issue of slavery. This act affected the Union as a whole in every motive now in their military, navy and society, leading the course of the War in a path based on slavery.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation turned out to be a great tactical move. It helped cripple the economic structure of the South and increased the amount of able bodied troupes ready to fight for the North. It helped slow down the South's ability to produce goods and sustain their crops, crops that had once kept their economy moving. Though it was an excellent strategy it definitely had its drawbacks. The Union just wasn’t prepared for the upsurge in Black citizens. Hundreds of slaves were leaving the South during the liberation process and ended up in Union camps. Generals had no clue on how to handle the situation. Does he put them to work? Ask them to enlist? How was he supposed to feed them? Though it would eventually help them win the war, the Emancipation Proclamation took a while to show any effective damage to the South. It also showed an interesting role change for a lot of Americans. Once you had regiments of freed black men fighting for the Union a lot of soldiers weren't sure how to react to them. Sure it was a legitimate fighting force but just the other day these were men that had once worked for you. It was intimidating knowing that these men were fighting against the oppression you put them through just weeks earlier.
ReplyDeleteI think the Emancipation proclamation had a big effect on the course of the civil war mainly because it changed the purpose of the war. This shocked many people and caused opposition from both the north and the south because now this wasn't as much of a war to bring the union together as it was a conquest war and now the union was on a position to take liberating steps. Other effects of the emancipation proclamation were things such as making the US government now committed to enforcing this legal action of emancipation. The document also caused any foreign help to become hesitant towards helping the confederacy, and lastly the news spreading everywhere, causing many freed slaves from the south to head to union lines making the south have an even bigger disadvantage as far as numbers go. In the end this legal action from Lincoln began the new part of the civil war that turned into pure conquest and meant that one side would have to end in unconditional surrender and since this also caused many disadvantages for the confederacy it would lead to the inevitable defeat for them.
ReplyDeleteIn the south, the majority of the labor force and the very heart of its economy was ran on slavery. The union knew this very well and acted upon it. Lincoln decided to kill the very foundation of the south. By freeing the slaves, he was able to cripple the south by having slaves freed. This meant more soldiers for the Union army. Now with the heart of the confederacy shattered his provided optimal opportunity for The Union to to strike. As a side note, Abraham Lincoln did not free the slaves because he felt bad for them, no it was all a military strategy, which ultimately led them to win the war.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was meant as a war strategy, used only to free the slaves in the confederacy to incite the now freedmen to join the union and rebel against the confederacy. While the slaves in the border states that were still part of the union still remained slaves. So Lincoln's speech was just a war tactic not an act by him for the better of slaves, he used it to help tilt the sides of the war further in the Union's favor so they could end this Civil War as soon as possible. This document was used to cause slave rebellions within the confederacy to help weaken them as well as adding the now freedmen into the union army to fight for the union and the freedom of the rest of the slaves in the South. The document had also been used to help show to the current slaves and now freedmen that the U.S. government acknowledged that they were free and would help spread freedom all across the United States despite what the people would want, as well as discouraging foreign countries from lending aid to the Confederacy.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation transformed the purpose of the Civil War. For the Northerners the purpose of the war wasn’t necessarily for the freeing of slave but to preserve the union. Now every forward step of the union would be a liberating step whether they liked it or not. However some Northerners were still firm in saying statements such as "I ain't fighting to free the slaves. I'm fighting to preserve the Union, thank you very much.” Another thing the Emancipation caused in the Civil war was the recruitment of black men into the Union Armies and Navy and to officially use Union uniform. And before the war will end about ten percent of all union forces will be African American approximately 180,000. This gave the Union more leverage in the Civil war. The last effect the Emancipation Proclamation caused was the increase of fights and movement towards Union lines by freed people. Because of the freeing of the slaves they became more ambitious when fighting and even Confederates said they first heard about the Emancipation Proclamation form their slaves. In the end the Proclamation caused a change of perspective of the Civil War, recruitment of black men into Union armies, and an increase of motivation for freed slaves.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was not a document that freed all slaves. It was a military strategy by Abraham Lincoln. He only declared that the slaves from the states that had seceded were to be freed. Lincoln did not include the border states, because he knew this would be a disadvantage to the union. Lincoln stated that it was the Union’s right to take away their slaves because it was the enemy’s property, which they could rightfully take in time of war. The Emancipation also allowed for slaves to join the union army, therefore increasing the amount of soldier’s in the union to an even greater extent. Another effect that the emancipation had was that it encouraged slaves to strike against slavery. Some slaves from the south fled to the north to become free slaves. Another great advantage that the Emancipation Proclamation gave to the Union, was that it demonstrated to foreign nations that the Union still had the control over the south. Therefore, any possibilities that the south would receive aid disappeared. Finally, the Emancipation established that the war was not only about keeping the union together, but it was also a war that would abolish slavery in the south.
ReplyDeleteOkay so all I understood from this lecture was that the emancipation proclamation was just a military tactic. I understood that it was to free all slaves that were in rebellion. Why this was done im not entirely sure. All I know is that it wasn’t really all that many slaves that were freed. The Proclamation did not compensate the owners, did not itself outlaw slavery, and did not make the ex-slaves citizens. Because of this I question Lincoln for doing this. It took effect except in locations where the Union had already mostly regained control. The reason Lincoln did this was to help the union and not to free the slaves. However it angered the southerners because they took it as just the, to free the slaves. Some slaves fleed from the south to become free men but they failed to realize that Lincoln didn’t really grant rights to freed slaves. They were basically just wanted to help in the war. By the end of the war the proclamation was not only to prove that the north still had power over the south, it proved that by the end the war was also to abolish slavery.
ReplyDeleteI know that I might have some things wrong but if you could help clear some things up then it would really help. thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was not a document made just to maintain the Union together. The Emancipation was also a military strategy to acquire support from slaves by letting them join the Union army, making more weak the South. Approximately 180,000 blacks from the slave states joined the Union army. Another aspect that made the South weaker was that they lost the support from Britain and France because if these countries supported the south that would mean that they support slavery and would have caused political and economic problems with the north. Whites in the South didn't liked this document but also some people from the North did not liked it because they said how they were going to fight to make free the blacks. At the end this document ended up as a weapon to defeat the South by making the slaves free.
ReplyDelete“While standing at the bank of the James River on the soil of Ol’ Virginia the mother state of slavery as a witness of such a sudden reverse the day’s clear the fields of grain are beautiful and birds sing sweet melodious songs while poor Mr. Clayton was crying to his servants”; this captures the revolution and primary source that establishes a witnessed alteration of history through the environment that once held the bondage of slaves which is now inevitably on the pathway to a metamorphosis through the evidence of words. The Emancipation Proclamation marked the pathway for change of the intentions established of the Civil War. The main objective of the North was to preserve and maintain the power of the Union. Every decision made to keep the union was apt to the liberation and progression of the slaves. This strategic battle manual was used to obtain the force of the Union , therefore this caused the authorization of the recruitment of blacks into the Navy and Union Army entailing the support of freedmen towards the prominent North that allowed an advantage in the Civil War. The news of the Proclamation spread South and led to the increased movement to the Union; blacks supported the advocates of their freedom and fought determined to keep their liberty.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation clearly gave a political and numerical advantage to the Union during the war against the Confederacy. In January 1, 1863, 50,000 slaves were released immediately after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was issued. The North now had a new weapon to fight the war with In May of 1863, the Union started the recruitment of black soldiers to into the army. By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men, 10% of the Union Army, served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. Nearly 40,000 black soldiers died over the course of the war, 30,000 of infection or disease. Prior to the enlistments of freedmen in the Union Army, the North started gaining ground in the conflict as they had supplied themselves with bigger man power and were now using the freed slave’s desire of revenge against the Confederacy to their advantage. Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation gave a considerable military advantage to the Union.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting topic that cam up in the lecture was how slaves were determined whether they were free or not and how they contributed in the North winning the war. Many slaves went to Union Armies because of the conquer of the Mississippi River. The two war leaders, Sherman and Grant, couldn’t decide what to do with the slaves coming from the South. I believe that the slaves serving under the Union were considered free because it meant more men at arms, less of the white males in the front lines, and population advantage. One of the factors that the professor mentioned in the lecture was on how slaves had legal statuses when they were put in the front lines. Usually, black males were considered free at the spot because of their service in the army. Making these slaves free was an advantage for the Union, because many southern plantations were being abandoned or destroyed because of the amount of slaves being sent up North. A key factor is slavery and because of it, the Confederacy weakened and the North made a logic decision on managing these slaves in the North.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I did find interesting was the idea that only slaves in the states that seceded, or that were in the debate of if they had legally seceded, were the slaves emancipated. This to me doesn’t seem like the most effective way to keep the union together, but to break up the confederacy from its soldiers to the regular inhabitants of the southern states. Many of the Slave owners were “refugeeing” their slaves to the western states fleeing from no man’s land, and even from the confederate frontier. Although Abraham Lincoln didn’t have much military experience, the idea of emancipation, which was not his, gave the Union a great advantage. Also those against emancipation in a way helped the motivation of the union soldiers and later the black regiment soldiers. Interestingly enough the newly freed blacks did not concern themselves with the “details” or the fine print of the document. This doesn’t make much sense to me, but then again even if there was a disagreement in the document I don’t believe that the freed blacks would be in any position to argue the -military order- I am not saying it was unfair but the lecture nevers concludes any idea as to why this is.
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The professor discussed many effects that the Emancipation Proclamation had on the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation was important because it was a military move and the Army and Navy now had to recognize and maintain the freedom of slaves and could do no acts to repress such persons in any act they might make for their actual freedom. Even though it was a very limited document, a majority of the black population didn’t care about the details, but took much interest in the face that the U.S. government had acted and said that they were going to be free. One of the immediate visible effects was that every forward step the Union army took would be a liberating step because they now had orders to do so. Another effect was that news of the proclamation spread like wildfire throughout the South and brought about increased movement toward Union lines by freed people. Most Confederate soldiers and white southerners first heard about the Emancipation Proclamation from their slaves. Another effect was that it committed the United States government in the eyes of the world. That was important because Britain was actually on the verge of recognizing the Confederacy which would’ve gone on to change the outcome of the war. Lincoln also authorized the recruitment of black men into the U.S armies and navies. He also authorized a formal process to recruit black men to the Union uniform. This affected the war because before the war ended, 10% of Union soldiers were black. These soldiers provided even more man power for the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation also transformed the purpose of the war. It made the Civil War a war of conquest with near totality on both sides. This meant that with this totality, the war would only end with unconditional surrender.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation did not free any slaves itself, however, what it did was putting a light on this topic. Britain was considering entering the war on the site of the confederacy but with the slavery issue it really had to consider its options. With the entering of the very strong British Navy, the confederacy would have been settled with weapons and other important supplies for the war. This is one aspect, but others might say that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves for exactly the reason that it put a light on it. In the end it comes down to one of the few issues in History were there a plenty of arguments on either side but in the end we only know that Britain did not want to get judged as a slavery supporter and that the Proclamation gave many slaves the opportunity to join the Union.
ReplyDeleteThe were many effects due to the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation was intended to mainly help out the union army. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all the slaves everywhere, it only freed some of them. By freeing these slaves, many of them joined the Northern military forces leaving the South at a major disadvantage. The South continued to hurt due to the fact that slaves ran to join the Union forces. Overall the Emancipation strengthened the North and greatly weakened the South. The proclamation, personally, drove slaves and gave them a sense of...hope if you will. The EP didn't necessarily free all slaves, but it made "an attempt." Just as Mr. Serrato had mentioned in a discussion, the Emancipation was a strategy, a military one at that.
ReplyDeleteLincoln established the emancipation proclamation in July 1863 which freed only slaves in an open rebellion, even though it didn’t free all slaves it was a good strategy during the civil war. There where two different views the north and the south, where the north had gave a disadvantage to the south. In the lecture it’s concluded that the details in the proclamation didn’t matter to the black folks but that the where going to be given freedom is all that mattered to them. As well the geography did have a part to do with which slaves were freed and was argued that the war was won in the west. The proclamation did enforce a change in the war and permitted black males into the union armies and navy. In the end the war was about slavery and keeping the union together.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation is in fact an important document during U.S history according to David Blight. It was written to free slaves in rebellion against the U.S. and only them. The question still remains, why only are the rebels set free? What about the slaves in the South? Isn’t it, according to Lincoln, that the South was still part of the Union? Lastly, how about the slaves in the Border States? The Emancipation Proclamation is indeed a military strategy that benefited the North. This was not a friendly gesture toward the African Americans to give them freedom. This document sets the tone for the war. In other words, the North and South are fighting for the social and economic issues of the Confederates or slavery. This document, although it did not free many of the slaves, still became a basis of hope for future events on African American freedom. They didn’t care much about the details on the document but it gave them the reason to fight for freedom. In result, freed slaves joined the army and made up 10% of the Union army.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation had such a large effect on the war that it changed the whole course of the Civil War. This document set a new goal for the Union. The goal was to free slaves now, and it was no longer about just keeping the Union together like Amber said earlier. Many white northerner were very unhappy with the idea of fighting for slavery even though that was what the entire war was about from the beginning. Many soldiers believed they were fighting to keep the Union together, but Lincoln realized that the slavery is what seperated the north and the south. By getting rid of slavery in the states that had joined
ReplyDeletethe Confederacy (border states w/ slavery were immune to the proclamation), this would weaken the Confederates cause to fight because with no slaves working, there was no reason to continue. Lincoln assured the Union the ridding of slavery was a military strategy because it would weaken the South's economy, and give the Union a bigger army.
The Emancipation Proclamation also had a large effect on slaves in the South and even in the border states. Many were not automatically free, and those is in states immune to the proclamation still began to hope because as pointed out before, this was the first time the government was taking a step towards liberating slaves. Slaves began to flee to the Union lines where they hoped to find a better future.
During the war, the Emancipation Proclamation was made to stop slavery but not free them as a whole. Only a percent of the slaves were free, and that was mainly in the North because they were allowed to enlist. In the North they could be seen as free because they were being used as an advantage. They were using them as more armed men and in a way savoring their own (white) men. The slaves had gone against their owners due to the fact that in the North they could consider themselves “free.” At this point Lincoln didn’t want to see the issue of slaves as something to fix, but rather try and hold the Union together. The proclamation had been recorded to attempt the end of slavery only to keep the nation running as one.
ReplyDeleteThe Emancipation Proclamation was a document made to stop slavery within the country, but it didn’t free every single slave. It freed a portion of the slave population. The South dependent on the slaves lost all of the support they had. Most of the slaves they had turned against them and they joined the Union Army and fought against them. The country seemed as if it was divided not as a whole. The proclamation wanted to keep the United States as the United States. The slaves knowing that they were free in the North, they fought against the South using the North’s support. This proclamation also helped the North because the slaves would leave at times the plantation in order to help the union army. With the slaves leaving this destroyed the South’s economy due to the fact that the South won’t have anyone to harvest their crops.
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