THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
President Abraham
Lincoln announced on 22 September 1862 that he planned to declare the
emancipation of slaves in those Confederate states which failed to rejoin the Union by 1 January 1863.
On 1 January 1863 at the White House in Washington, D.C.
he signed and formally issued the promised Emancipation Proclamation as an
executive order that declared all slaves freed in those states and parts of
states still in rebellion. He urged the freed slaves “to abstain from
all violence, unless in necessary self-defense” and recommended “in all cases
when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.” He then explained how freed slaves could help
the Union’s cause:
And I further
declare and make known that such persons of suitable
condition will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts,
and to man vessels of all sorts in
said service.
Lincoln
based his action on his belief that the Proclamation was “an act of justice,
warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity,” and invoked the
judgment of mankind and God’s favor.
Throughout the
summer of 1862 Lincoln
discussed his idea about an emancipation proclamation with his Cabinet. Upon the recommendation of William Seward,
Secretary of State, he delayed the announcement of the proclamation until a
military victory had been won. The
Battle of Antietam on 17 September 1862 represented that long-anticipated
victory. There were several reasons why Lincoln issued the
proclamation. First, he wanted to reduce
the reliance on slaves to support the Confederate war effort and economy. Second, he was concerned that European
states, particularly Britain,
might recognize the Confederacy, thus complicating the Union’s
coastal blockade and leading to loans and weapons to the Confederacy. He was aware that anti-slavery organizations
in Europe were a significant political force. Third, Lincoln
considered the proclamation as a first step toward preparing the public and
Congress for the emancipation of all slaves; the proclamation itself did not
affect slavery in the border states
and Confederate territory occupied by Union forces. Finally, he hoped to boost the morale of the Union which had been ebbing throughout 1862.
The Emancipation
Proclamation changed the course of the war by adding the abolition of slavery
to the goal of the restoration of the Union. It sanctioned the acceptance of blacks as
soldiers and paved the way for the eventual adoption of the Thirteenth
Amendment to the Constitution. And, the
European states did not recognize the Confederacy.