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war had now changed. The army still fought to save the Union. They
also fought to end slavery.
Emancipation Proclamation
In the military, reactions were very different. Some men deserted and
refused to fight anymore. Other units started to fight harder. They
believed in the cause they were now fighting for.
By Cathy Pearl
From the very beginning of the war, President
Abraham Lincoln was pushed to free the
slaves. At first, he refused. He did not want to
anger people in Border States and push those
states into seceding. He also insisted that the
war was being fought to save the Union, not to
free the slaves.
Lincoln started to talk about the proclamation
with his Cabinet early in the war. It was July of
1862. All of them had different thoughts about
it. Some wanted Lincoln to issue it right away.
Others worried that Lincoln would lose the
next election because of it.
The South was hurt by the proclamation. Many foreign countries had
been thinking about supporting the South. The proclamation helped
bring more support for the Union. If a country supported the South, it
would seem like it was supporting slavery. This wouldn't work for
countries like England and France who had already banned slavery in
their countries.
Still, the order did not end everyone's fears. Many were worried that
freeing the slaves would be seen as a wartime act. They wondered
what would happen when the war was over. People began to push to
make sure that all slaves were freed, not just those in Confederate
states.
When Lincoln ran for president in 1864, he made it a campaign issue.
Lincoln pushed for an amendment to the Constitution that would ban
slavery in the country.
Freeing the slaves could help the North. Many blacks wanted to fight
in the army. By freeing the slaves, they could then enlist. This would
give the North more men to fight in the war.
When Lincoln won reelection, he immediately pushed Congress to
pass the amendment. In January of 1865, the amendment was sent to
the states to be ratified. It was ratified by enough states in December
of 1865. It became the thirteenth amendment.
Lincoln felt that the North needed to win a large victory before he
freed the slaves. This victory came at the Battle of Antietam. On
September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued the proclamation. It was five days
after the battle. Lincoln gave a deadline to the Southern states. If a
state rejoined the Union by January 1, the state could keep slavery in
place temporarily. If the state refused, all slaves would be freed.
Freedom was not everything that most slaves had dreamed of. They
still fought for equal rights in the country. Many moved, as the places
they used to live were no longer safe. They had trouble finding places
to live and finding jobs. Their fight for equality had just started.
The order could not take effect until the Union soldiers took control
of Southern states. Still, slaves had been used to help the war effort in
the South. They heard about their freedom by word of mouth. Many
slaves began to run away which caused more confusion in the South.
The proclamation was not as great as it seemed at the surface. Only
slaves in Confederate states were freed. It said nothing about slaves in
Border and Union states. The slaves there would be freed in separate
state actions.
The impact was immediate. In the North, the reasons for fighting the
6. Why didn't foreign countries like France or Britain support the
South?
Name
Emancipation Proclamation
Questions
1. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in which
states?
A. Border states
B. Northern states
C. Confederate states
2. Before issuing the proclamation, Lincoln wanted to wait for
what?
A. A victory for the North
B. The new year
C. Winter
3. The Emancipation Proclamation helped the South.
A. True
B. False
4. What amendment banned slavery in the United States?
A. Thirteenth
B. Eleventh
C. Twelfth
5. How did men in the military feel about the proclamation?