Emancipation Proclamation Dbq

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One of the most important acts in the entire history of the United States was the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. It is obvious that the Proclamation would affect the immediate political and military situation of the Union, as well as the Confederacy, but it also had far reaching effects even up to this day. While the Emancipation Proclamation did not directly end slavery, it did deal slavery a massive blow and set the nation up for abolition in the end. Because the Proclamation was such an important piece of legislation, it is worthwhile to examine the political and military situations that led President Lincoln to issue it. Lincoln’s political situation in 1862-63 contributed to his issuing of the Emancipation …show more content…

The Union had expected the war to end quickly, and when it failed to end quickly debate sprang up over how to move forward. One faction wanted to begin peace negotiations with the Confederacy, but the others saw this as Confederate victory; another faction wanted to keep fighting and hope the Confederacy would give up soon. Lincoln came up with a third option, which was to take away the Confederacy’s resources and to maximize those of the Union. While he certainly desired to see slavery abolished, he had more than political and moral motives for focusing on slavery as a means to attain his goal. Slavery was a great advantage to the south, allowing them to mobilize more of their white male population for war while the slaves produced food and supplies; if they mobilized the slaves as soldiers they could have also significantly bolstered their numbers. Lincoln expected most freed slaves to turn and fight their masters, so the Emancipation Proclamation would be a great way to take away the Confederacy’s greatest resource and mobilize it for the Union at the same time. The military situation also dictated the timing Lincoln chose for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Seward suggested that Lincoln wait for a military victory to issue it; otherwise, it might seem like a desperate action by a defeated

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