The Emancipation Proclamation In 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which would help to change the course of the war
Key Vocabulary Emancipation Proclamation 54 th Massachusetts Regiment
A Tough Decision As Abolitionists continued their call to end slavery Lincoln hesitated due to the constitution Lincoln did not want to upset the slave states fighting for the north or the Northern Democrats and Republicans who opposed emancipation Though he Disliked slavery, Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union but by the summer of 1862 Lincoln Decided to free southern slaves to weaken the south
Free at Last, Free At last Abraham Lincoln Issued the Emancipation Proclamation but Very Few slaves were freed Lincoln could NOT free slaves in the North under the constitution, but Southern Slaves could be freed under a Military action The Northern Slave states would start to free slaves gradually and the proclamation made the war about preserving the union and liberation
Four Sides to the Story Abolitionists were happy, many thought Lincoln should have done more Northern Democrats were against emancipation and feared the act would make the war longer Union Soldiers supported the act because it would weaken the confederacy White Southerners were angry because as slaves began to run away north the confederacy would be weakened
The Strongest Fight With the urging of Frederick Douglas, the Union Army began to welcome African troops to fight By the end of the war over 180,000 African soldiers would join the Union Cause African Soldiers were often organized into all black regiments and given the worst jobs but fought just as hard to preserve their freedom
GLORY The 54 th Massachusetts Regiment would be one of the most popular all black regiments They would lead the attack on Fort Wagner without pay in an act of heroism The soldiers would fight, knowing that if they were caught they would be killed or returned to slavery
This Has Been Another World Famous Mr. Green PowerPoint Presentation Double Star Bonus**