Anthony Nong

PSCI -C180
9/1/13
Emancipation Proclamation Did NOT Free Slaves
The Emancipation Proclamation did not ree all the !la"e! in the #nited State!$ The
Emancipation Proclamation %a! a decree relea!ed in 18&' (y Pre!ident A(raham )incoln d*ring
the Ci"il +ar, %here the #nited State! %a! torn into t%o !eparate action!- the #nion and the
Conederacy$ The So*th (ro.e a%ay rom the North, and the decree pertained only to area! *nder
the control o the Conederacy$ In the decree, )incoln had proclaimed that all !la"e! %ithin the
!tate! re(elling again!t the #nion %ere to (e reed (y la%$ Pre!ident )incoln co*ld not per!*ade
!la"e o%ner! li"ing in the Conederate !tate! o America to o(ey the Emancipation Proclamation$
Ater the Ci"il +ar ended, the So*th (ecame part o the #nited State! again, and the So*th had
to o(ey )incoln$ Altho*gh no !la"e! %ere act*ally reed (y the Emancipation Proclamation in
18&3, it did lead to the 13th Amendment to the Con!tit*tion, completely a(oli!hing !la"ery in the
#nited State!$
The Emancipation Proclamation did not ree any !la"e! in the northern #nion !tate! nor
the !o*thern Conederacy at the time it %a! i!!*ed$ It %a! i!!*ed only (eca*!e )incoln con"eyed
to the So*th pre"io*!ly that i they did not ret*rn to the #nion (y /an*ary 1, 18&3 their !la"e!
%o*ld (e 0ore"er ree1 a! 2*oted in the decree$ Al!o, )incoln did not act*ally ha"e the po%er to
ree the !la"e! in the So*th (eca*!e the !tate! %ere not *nder hi! control$ None o the
Conederate !tate! had accepted )incoln3! Emancipation Proclamation$ The Emancipation
Proclamation %a! not i!!*ed 4*!t to help ree the !la"e!, (*t al!o to help the #nion %in the Ci"il
+ar$ The #nion con!i!ted o '0 !tate! loyal to their leader, Pre!ident )incoln$ Another o*r
(order !tate!, incl*ding tho!e o 5aryland, 6ela%are, 7ent*c.y, and 5i!!o*ri, %ere al!o part o
the #nion !tate!$ 8o%e"er, they highly di!agreed *pon the emancipation o !la"e! (*t did not
lea"e the #nion (eca*!e )incoln had promi!ed the!e (order !tate! that they can .eep their !la"e!$
Thi! %ar !trategy con"inced the (order !tate! to !tay in the #nion$ Al!o, the decree did not
incl*de !la"e! rom area! o the So*th *nder the #nion3! control, or e9ample, part! o :irginia
and )o*i!iana, and the !tate o Tenne!!ee$ In term! o the Emancipation Proclamation, the decree
did not emancipate a !ingle !la"e %ithin the #nion nor did it ree a !ingle !la"e in the
Conederacy$
In!tead o literally reeing the !la"e! o the Conederate State!, the Emancipation
Proclamation !er"ed to in!pire reedom in !la"e!$ Pre!ident )incoln had only attempted to
emancipate the !la"e! in the re(elling !tate! a! a !olid %ar !trategy- it !tirred more complication!
in the So*th (et%een !la"e o%ner! and their ma!ter!, (*t did not ree the !la"e! at all$ In another
in!tance o the *!e o the Emancipation Proclamation, )incoln !*cce!!*lly demorali;ed the
So*th (y r*!trating the %hite plantation o%ner!$ Ater a grand "ictory o the #nion at Antietam
in 18&', )incoln had proclaimed that i the So*thern !tate! do not ret*rn to the #nion, the
Emancipation Proclamation %o*ld ta.e place$ Thi! %a! the initial attac. *pon the So*th that ir!t
demorali;ed the Conederacy, re"ealing the inl*ence o the Emancipation Proclamation$ <et, the
So*th re4ected )incoln3! decree$ =*rthermore, the decree al!o led to the ir!t-e"er integration o
(lac. army !oldier! into the #nion3! #$S$ Army, allo%ing %hite! and (lac.! to ight together
again!t the Conederacy$ The decree did not e9erci!e it! promi!e e9actly in the %ord! o the
!la"e!3 0reedom>1 ho%e"er, it har(ored a hope in the heart! o the So*thern !la"e! ready or !*ch
a reedom$ 5oreo"er, the decree did not apply to the !la"e! in the #nion, %here Pre!ident
)incoln3! order! %ere inl*ential, in attempt! to !ati!y hi! o%n !tate!$
The polari;ation o the North and So*thern region! had made !la"ery a oreront i!!*e$
=or e9ample, e"en other nation!, !*ch a! ?ritain and =rance %ho %ere already trying to help the
So*th, had he!itated to contin*e !*pporting the Conederate !tate! (eca*!e it denied h*man
right! to h*man !la"e!, typically Arican American!$ Initially, ?ritain and =rance only %anted to
!*pport the Conederate !tate! (eca*!e they tho*ght the Conederacy3! p*rpo!e %a! to ight or
independence$ The #nion3! attempt at protecting h*man right! again!t !la"ery thro*gh the
Emancipation Proclamation had !%ayed the E*ropean nation! !*ch a! ?ritain and =rance to
re4ect !*pport to the pro-!la"ery So*th$ International attention dra%n to the %ar eort (ro*ght *p
the !igniicance o e2*ality in !la"e! and non-!la"e!$ E"ent*ally, the #nion %in! o"er the
Conederate State!, pre!er"ing the American nation$ @nce ci"il !tr*ggle! ended, the dramatic call
or reeing the !la"e! in the Emancipation Proclamation had echoed pa!t the %in o the Ci"il
+ar$ It led to mo"ement! that pa!!ed the 13
th
Amendment to the Con!tit*tion$ Thi! 13
th

Amendment %a! the !olid declaration o the a(!ol*te end to !la"ery in all part! o the #nited
State!$ The 13th Amendment (ecame a la% on 6ecem(er 18, 18&A$
The Emancipation Proclamation completely changed the Ci"il %ar and the #nited State!$
There %ere many "ie%! on the proclamation, !ome %ere 4oy*l and happy %hile other! %ere
angered and elt that it %a! *ncon!tit*tional$ The dependence on !la"e! or plantation! or
%ealthy %hite plantation! *eled !la"e o%ner3! di!agreement$ Nonethele!!, the Emancipation
Proclamation %a! %ell-ro*nded in that it pro"ided compen!ation or the !la"e o%ner!, de!pite
remaining ho!tility$ The #nion "ictory o the %ar !hattered the remaining ho!tility (eca*!e the
nation %a! *niied again$ The Ci"il +ar "irt*ally (ecame gro*nd or the ir!t !tep in a
con!tit*tional change in America$ The %ar polari;ed (oth the So*th and the North (*t *nited
(oth action! indi"id*ally in the proce!!$ Not only %a! the Ci"il +ar a ight to pre!er"e the
nation, it! emergence led to the the Emancipation Proclamation$ Thi! Proclamation eecti"ely
(egan the oicial 4o*rney to the a(olition o !la"ery in all part! o the #nited State!$