The Emancipation Proclamation

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No doubt, famous historical figure Abraham Lincoln was a key figure for the United States during its Civil War. Whenever he’s spoken of in the educational system, he’s known as the man who freed the slaves. During Lincoln’s presidency, he implemented an order that would forever affect the slaves and the outcome of the Civil War. On September 22, 1862, he released the preliminary announcement for the Emancipation Proclamation. It eventually went into full effect on January 1st, 1863, during the second year of the Civil War. As President Lincoln signed the proclamation on New Year 's day in his office, he quoted, “I never felt more certain, that I was doing right, than signing this paper.” The Emancipation Proclamation was a very important component …show more content…

Although, they didn’t favor emancipation, they were expecting slavery to die on its own over time. The border states that still held slavery, had many problems arise. A Union officer in Kentucky freed slaves, after a major victory. Many Union soldiers were upset and threw down their guns and disbanded. Lincoln had to intervene and unfree those slaves, because of fear of military backlash. The emancipation was very beneficial to the North, as it crippled the South’s production. They had very few slaves fighting for them, as they were now free. Still, the Emancipation Proclamation did great things for the North. Slaves that were held in rebellion states were now free people, which gave the Union more fighting support. As the freed slaves would join their cause to terminate slavery. With the Union’s victory of the war, it held to a stronger …show more content…

In 1860 about 400,000 white families owned approximately 4 million slaves. Owners of large plantations and farms grew crops for the market and also for home use. Cotton became the most important crop to grow in the United States. By the time of the Civil War, 4.9 million bales of cotton were being harvested yearly and a good portion of it was being transferred to the North. Slaves played an important role for the South, as they used them for cheap laborer and could make a quick profit from it. When the Civil War broke out, there were already some Southern states that seceded from the North and claimed it’s own independency. They didn’t agree with the North’s way of thinking of slavery, as the South needed it for their economic benefit. They socially banned together to create their own army and fight the Union. Culturally, some people believed slavery was acceptable in their society. Thinking they blacks aren’t as superior as whites. Racism was very harsh in those days and they viewed slavery as a mean of

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