From the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. President Abraham Lincoln repeatedly stated that his primary aim of the war was non to get rid of the establishment of bondage. but instead to continue the Union. Lincoln knew that the Constitution protected bondage in any province where the citizens wanted it.
As the war progressed. the abolishment of bondage was seen as a military scheme for the Union ground forces. as the freshly freed slaves would so contend for the cause of their ain freedom.
Since it was a military necessity. it was warranted by the fundamental law. Because of this. and force per unit area from both fellow Republicans every bit good as Northern abolitionists. Abraham Lincoln issued an Emancipation Proclamation. liberating all slaves in rebellious provinces and allowing them to fall in the Union ground forces.
effectual as of January 1. 1863.Although the Constitution refrained him from get rid ofing bondage wholly.
it empowered him to prehend any enemy belongings being used to pay war against the United States. The most valuable belongings that the Confederacy possessed were slaves. Their slaves toiled in the Fieldss. tendering to harvests that were used for nutrient and vesture in the Southern war attempt. maintaining nutrient and mills running swimmingly so work forces could be free to contend in the ground forces.
By taking the slaves off from the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln was non merely decreasing the coals of hope for triumph that the South had. but besides rekindling the fire of strength for the Union ground forces.General Benjamin Butler. a commanding officer of Union forces busying Fortress Monroe in Virginia on the James River.
provided a legal principle that sparked the thought of emancipation. and opened up a door manner for Union ground forces success. When three slaves escaped unto his lines on May 25 1861. he declared them all “contraband of war” and refused to return them to their Confederate proprietor. After hearing word of the opportunity for freedom that this new thought created. 100s of“contrabands” escaped to Union lines in the months that followed. On the 30 of August.
1861. General John C. Fremont issued a announcement declaring slaves of Missourians that were taking up weaponries against the Unites States to be free. Another day of the month in which commanding officers of ground forces took actions opposing bondage was on May 9. 1862. when General David Hunter proclaimed the emancipation of slaves in his Department. which included Georgia. Florida.
and South Carolina. However. it was merely a affair of clip before President Lincoln overruled this emancipation. because “On every juncture that his generals had announced the emancipation of the slaves in their military territories.
Lincoln had overruled them. ” ( page 276. Don’t Know Much About The Civil War. Kenneth C.
Davis. 1996 ) .On the sixth of August.
1861. Congress passed a arrogation act that provided for the “emancipation of slaves employed in weaponries of labour against the United States” ( Encyclopedia of American History. Morris ) . In March of 1862. Congress enacted a new article of war prohibiting ground forces officers to return fleeting slaves to their Masterss.
A 2nd arrogation act was passed on the 17 of July. 1862. declaring the release of “slaves of all individuals who committed lese majesty or supported the rebellion” ( Encyclopedia of American History. Morris ) . With these new Acts of the Apostless passed. the slaves themselves had taken the enterprise to do this war a war for their release. Most Republicans had been convinced by the twelvemonth 1862 that “a war against slaveholders’ rebellion must go a war against bondage itself”( World Wide Web.
history. com/topics/emancipation-proclamation ) . The Republican party so put force per unit area on Abraham Lincoln to liberate the slaves in the South. As an person. Lincoln loathed the establishment of bondage and felt that abolishment was the morally right thing to make.
nevertheless. as the president of the United States. he felt compelled to equilibrate things for both the Union and the rebellious Confederacy. non merely for the interest of continuing the state but besides to do no farther wrangle where it was evitable.After a twine of Union military triumphs in the early months of 1862. they suffered many losingss to the Confederacy in the months of July and August. They were in demand of something that would beef up their ground forces. and an emancipation would make merely so.
The emancipation had become a “military necessity” . as Abraham Lincoln told the members of his cabinet. “We must liberate the slaves or be ourselves subdued… The Administration must put an illustration. and work stoppage at the bosom of the rebellion” ( The Reader’s Companion. Eric Foner. 1991 ) .
After hearing the proposal of this announcement. Lincoln’s Secretary of State. William H. Seward. persuaded Lincoln to keep back the announcement until the Union had a place of strength. He asked him to wait until the Union had a important military triumph to keep over the South’s caput.The Battle of Antietam provided the Union the military triumph that they needed to force the emancipation.
This fatal conflict had been perpetuated by the Maryland Campaign of 1862. which was Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s program to assail the North. Lee’s program was to pull the Union ground forces off from it’s supplies and munitions. After hearing of these programs. President Lincoln put Major General George B.
McClellan in bid of the Union’s Army of the Potomac. which consisted of 70. 000 work forces ( Encyclopedia of American History. Morris ) . On September 17. 1862. the bloodiest conflict of the Civil War took topographic point.
1 that would be unsurpassed in slaughter for the remainder of the war. At least 23. 000 soldiers were killed. wounded.
or losing after 12 ghastly hours of barbarian combat between opposing forces( World Wide Web. neptunium. gov/ancm/index.
htm ) . 2. 108 Union soldiers were killed. and 9.
549 were wounded. whereas for the Confederate Army. originally dwelling of 40. 000 rebellious work forces. lost 2. 700 work forces to the manus of decease.
and left another 9. 029 wounded. This conflict was non merely of import for the issue of the Emancipation Proclamation. but it besides prevented European Intervention on behalf of the Confederacy.
England and France realized that the master was more likely to be the Union. Since the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves. it transitioned the focal point of the war to slavery in European eyes. and since both England and France had already abolished bondage.
it made it impossible for them to back up the Confederacy. One short month after the triumph over the Confederate ground forces in the Battle of Antietam. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as “an act of justness. warranted by the Constitution. upon military necessity. ”Abraham Lincoln presented a drafted thought of the Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet on July 22. 1862. and two months subsequently.
on September 22 a Preliminary emancipation announcement was issued. to take consequence on the first of the new twelvemonth. Abraham Lincoln unfeignedly believed the emancipation to be “an act of justness.
warranted by the Constitution. upon military necessity. ” ( The Civil War. Harry Hansen. 1961. pg 276 ) . Upon subscribing the Proclamation. Abraham Lincoln stated.
“I have ne’er in my life felt more certain that I was making right that I do in subscribing this paper. ” ( The Civil War. Shelby Foote. pg 120 ) .
The Emancipation Proclamation declared that “all individuals held as slaves… shall be so. thenceforth. and everlastingly free” .
This non merely diminished any hopes that the Confederacy had had for foreign intercession. but besides freed all slaves in rebellious provinces. excepting 13 parishes in Louisiana. 48 counties in the future province of West Virginia.
and seven counties in East Virginia ( Don’t Know Much About the Civil War. Kenneth C. Davis.
1996 ) . It besides permitted the liberated inkinesss to fall in the ground forces. carry throughing the Union’s hitch quotas.
