Lesson 17.1 The Emancipation Proclamation

Essential Question How did ending slavery become an important goal of the Civil War?

Vocabulary emancipation: to free from slavery or other control the act of announcing to the public, or something that is said for the public to hear. The act of proclaiming. Frederick Douglas: abolitionist who urged President Lincoln to emancipate the slaves proclamation:

Focus Questions Why was President Lincoln hesitant to abolish slavery? What was President Lincoln's first priority throughout the war? Why did President Lincoln finally decide in favor of emancipation? Who specifically did the Emancipation Proclamation free? Why were people living in the North angered by the Emancipation Proclamation?

Focus Questions 6. How did Union soldiers react to the Emancipation Proclamation? 7. How did Southern whites react to the Emancipation Proclamation? 8. How did African American enlistment in the army change as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation? 9. What obstacles did black soldiers in the Union army face? 10. Why was the 54th Massachusetts Regiment famous?

What we already know… Lincoln believed slavery was morally wrong.

What we already know… In a battle fought near Antietam Creek in Maryland, Union forces had finally won a slim victory against Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

What we already know… Britain was considering giving aid to the Confederacy, even though Britain was opposed to slavery.

Calls For Emancipation Leading abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass criticized President Lincoln because he had not ended slavery. Some went as far to say his lack of action helped the Confederacy. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Calls For Emancipation Lincoln hesitated to emancipate the slaves when the war began because: He didn’t believe he had the power under the Constitution to abolish slavery. He didn’t want to anger the four slavery border states that had remained with the Union. He knew Northern Democrats and Republicans opposed emancipation, so this issue could further divide the nation. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Calls For Emancipation Although President Lincoln disliked slavery, his first priority was to preserve the Union. Lincoln wanted to bring the Union back together, not have the issue of slavery divide the nation even further. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Calls For Emancipation Eventually, Lincoln decided in favor of emancipation because the war was taking a terrible toll and if freeing the slaves would help weaken the South, then he would do it. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Calls For Emancipation Lincoln knew the Southern economy depended on slave labor. Without it, the South would grow weak and be easier to defeat. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Calls For Emancipation On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed all slaves in Confederate territory. Unfortunately, it freed very few slaves because those liberated live in areas too far away from Union troops which could enforce the proclamation. So why didn’t he free all the slaves in the nation? Mayflower Compact = self rule

Calls For Emancipation The answer was in the Constitution! Because freeing southern slaves weakened the Confederacy, the proclamation could be seen as a military action. As commander-in-chief, Lincoln had this authority. The Constitution did not give the President the power to free slaves in the Union. President Lincoln did however ask Congress to legally abolish slavery. Mayflower Compact = self rule

The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation was an important symbolic measure; the Civil War was now a war of liberation. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Calls For Emancipation Abolitionists like Frederick Douglass convinced Lincoln that making abolition a goal of the war would cause tens of thousands of free blacks to enlist in the Union army. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Response to the Proclamation Abolitionists were thrilled with the proclamation! Northern Democrats were worried that the proclamation would make the war last longer by continuing to anger the South.

Response to the Proclamation Most Union soldiers welcomed emancipation because it would help to weaken the South. Southern whites were outraged; emancipation threatened their way of life.

Response to the Proclamation With so many Southern men away fighting far from the plantations, news of the proclamation caused slaves to become defiant and disobedient. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Response to the Proclamation Whenever the Northern armies drew near, many slaves ran away to Union lines, depriving the Confederacy of labor. Mayflower Compact = self rule

African American Soldiers The Emancipation Proclamation declared that African American men willing to fight could enlist in the Union military. Mayflower Compact = self rule

African American Soldiers After emancipation, African Americans rushed to join the army. During the course of the war, over 180,000 African-American soldiers fought for the Union army. Mayflower Compact = self rule

African American Soldiers African-American soldiers fought in all-African-American units led by white officers. Mayflower Compact = self rule

African American Soldiers African Americans often were assigned the worst jobs and paid less than white soldiers. Mayflower Compact = self rule

African American Soldiers But on the battlefield, their courage and dedication was second to none. Mayflower Compact = self rule

The 54th Massachusetts The 54th Massachusetts was the most famous African-American regiment of the war Mayflower Compact = self rule

The 54th Massachusetts Why was this regiment so famous? 1,007 soldiers were sent to take Fort Wagner, South Carolina in July ,1863. Two of Abolitionist Frederick Douglass’ sons were there to fight. They didn’t know 1,700 Confederate soldiers waited inside the fort. They were outmanned and outgunned. 280 men, including General Shaw who led the soldiers were killed as they climbed over the wall of the fort Mayflower Compact = self rule

The 54th Massachusetts Sergeant W.H. Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at Fort Wagner. Mayflower Compact = self rule

African American Soldiers If captured African Americans faced greater danger than whites. Mayflower Compact = self rule

African American Soldiers Southerners rarely took African Americans as prisoners. They were often executed or returned to slavery. Mayflower Compact = self rule