1. Chapter 11, Section 3 The Emancipation Proclamation p. 398-401
President Lincoln’s decision to end most slavery opens the way for African Americans to join the Union Army.

2. Emancipating the Enslaved
Main Idea: Lincoln is slow to decide on emancipation but finally embraces it as a necessary war measure.
Lincoln’s original plan was not to emancipate (to free from enslavement) the slaves
- “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it… - Lincoln in letter to Horace Greeley, August, 1862
Lincoln changes his mind:
Thinks freeing slaves will hurt southern war effort
Lee had slaves dig trenches to protect Richmond
Cabinet convinces Lincoln to wait for a Union victory on the battlefield
Lincoln & his Cabinet meet to discuss emancipating the slaves of the South.
-July 22, 1862

3. Known as the Battle of Sharpsburg in the South
Battle of Antietam
Lee’s first attack in the North
Attempts to capture northern railroads & supply routes
McClellan must protect supply lines
Bloodiest Single Day battle in American history
Approximately 23,000 casualities
Lee retreats, leaves the field to McClellan (doesn’t pursue)
Union “victory” triggers Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation
Known as the Battle of Sharpsburg in the South
- September 17, 1862

4. The Emancipation Proclamation
Preliminary proclamation issued by Lincoln on Sept. 22, 1862
Five days after Antietam
Official proclamation issued January 1, 1863
Has little immediate impact
Only frees slaves in states that had already seceded
Reproduction of Emancipation Proclamation, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, OH

5. The Emancipation Proclamation
Proclamation is both praised and criticized
Some abolitionists upset that not all slaves are freed.
Frederick Douglass calls it a “righteous decree”
Slaves in border states are still slaves.
Runaway slaves of the South give the proclamation power.

6. African Americans Help the Union
Main Idea: African Americans fought for the Union and made other contributions to the war effort.
The Emancipation Proclamation does more than free slaves.
Keeps England & France from recognizing the Confederacy.
War becomes a Crusade for freedom and dignity.
215,000 African Americans serve as Union soldiers
189,000 serve in Union Army
26,000 serve in Union Navy
Half are runaway slaves.
Former Slaves become Union Soldiers

7. GLORY!!! 54th Massachusetts Volunteers
All black unit
Refuse pay rather than accept less than whites.
Lincoln & Congress later raise pay and include back- pay.
Disciplined & Brave
Volunteer for “suicide mission” at the Siege of Fort Wagner, So. Car.
Attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina
-July 18, 1863

8. Heroes of the 54th MA Sgt. William H. Carney Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
Receives the Medal of Honor
-First African American to receive U. S. military’s highest honor
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw

9. Boston - Monument to the 54th MA

10. Fighting Racism
The Tuskegee Airmen: African American pilots who flew with distinction during World War II

11. Breaking Barriers (in sports)
Serena & Venus
Williams
Jackie Robinson
Jack Johnson
Tiger Woods
Bill Russell
Arthur Ashe

12. Fighting for Civil Rights
“I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C. in 1963
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

13. Defeating Racism?
Barack Obama: first black President of U.S.