LESSON 3 PROMISE OF FREEDOM

SETTING THE SCENE “I makes up my mind to go and I leaves with a chunk of meat and cornbread…. Half skeert to death. I sure have my eyes open and my ears forward, watchin’ for the [Confederate slave patrols]. I step off the road in the night, at the sight of anything, and in the day I take to the woods.” -John Finnely, Remembering Slavery

LINCOLN’S GOAL The Civil War was fought to save the Union, NOT to end slavery. President Lincoln made this very clear in a letter to the public… “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some slaves and leaving others alone, I would do that.” -Abraham Lincoln, August 22, 1862

LINCOLN’S GOAL There were still 4 slave states that remained in the Union. Because of this, Lincoln had to handle the slavery issue with caution. One wrong move and those four states could move to the Confederacy- providing the South with a greater supply of resources.

THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION Mid-1862, Lincoln started to believe that he could save the Union only if he broadened the goals of the war. He decided to emancipate slaves living in the Confederacy. Emancipate : to free

MOTIVES AND TIMING At the start of the war, there were more than 3 million slaves that worked for the Confederacy. As slaves, they helped provide for the Confederacy’s army. By emancipating, Lincoln know it would weaken the Confederate’s army. Lincoln did not want to upset any slave owners still in the Union. So, he would introduce the idea of emancipation slowly. Lincoln found slavery to be wrong. If he felt he could free slaves without threatening the Union, he would. He was worried about the timing of the emancipation. The Union was not doing well in the war and he didn’t want Americans to think he was freeing the slaves as a desperate effort to save a losing cause.

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION Just after the Union victory at Antietam, on September 22, 1862, Lincoln introduced the proclamation. On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln’s 1863 declaration freeing slaves in the Confederacy.

IMPACT OF THE PROCLAMATION When the Emancipation went into act on January 1, the slaves in the Confederacy did not gain their freedom because they were not under Union control. The Emancipation Proclamation changed the purpose of the war- now the Union was fighting to end slavery and save the Union.

IMPACT OF THE PROCLAMATION North Welcomed the Proclamation with joy. There were many celebrations. The Union was now fighting not only to save the Union, but the end slavery. South Seen as a “fiend’s act”. It won the sympathy of Europeans, causing the South to lose Europe’s support in the war.

AFRICAN AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS

IN THE UNION ARMY African American volunteers worked in all-black units that were lead by white officers. They served as laborers at first. They were building roads and guarding supplies. They received half the pay of a white soldier. In 1863, African American troops were fighting major battles against the Confederates. In 1864, all soldiers received equal pay. Nearly 200,000 African Americans fought for the Union (40,000 lost their lives).

ACTS OF BRAVERY 54 th Massachusetts Regiment: African Americans joined this troop. Fredrick Douglas helped recruit the troops, two of which were his sons. July 18, 1863, Charleston, South Carolina: the 54 th Massachusetts Regiment led an attack on Fort Wagner. Troops fought their way into the fort before they were forced to withdraw. Nearly half the regiment was killed. Their courage won respect for African American soldiers across the nation. Sergeant William Carney- the first of 16 African American soldiers to win the Medal of Honor in the Civil War.

BEHIND CONFEDERATE LINES Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was in effect, there were still African Americans that worked in the South as slaves. They slowed down their work or refused to work at all- they hoped this would weaken the South’s war effort. When Union troops would arrive in their area, they would be free.