Topic > President Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation

IndexIntroductionImplementationConsequencesPolitical InfluenceConfederate ResponseInternational InfluenceIntroductionOne of the points that President Abraham Lincoln made during his tenure as President of the United States was issuing the executive order that stopped rampant slavery in America. This proclamation was called Proclamation 95 and targeted the more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans. Following this proclamation, these slaves were emancipated and their civil rights were therefore immediately elevated to the rank of those of their former masters. This executive order was issued on January 1, 1863. This executive order withdrew the regressive Fugitive Slave Act passed in 1850 and provided a mechanism through which wandering slaves were to be handled. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before emancipation, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 allowed fugitive slaves to return immediately or they were branded as bootleggers and then held in reserve slave prisons. In the year 1861, during the month of December, President Lincoln expressed his delight in free labor systems in his message. Furthermore, he also expressed his desire to see universal human rights for all American citizens. This occurred despite pressure from various concerned citizens who directly confronted the president to stop slavery as it brought more harm than good to the union. The continuous demonstrations and direct letters addressed to the president pushed him to proclaim emancipation after Congress passed a law banning any form of slavery in all states. The restitution of slaves was abolished, as was the reconviction of former slaves and so those who were considered unfree citizens gained full freedom just like their former masters. They were incorporated into the army and other state organizations which allowed them to start providing for themselves contrary to the past where they were completely dependent on their masters for basic requirements. Implementation On September 22, 1862, the preliminary announcement regarding the official approval of the emancipation was available to members of Congress. The official documentation and proclamation arrived 100 days later. This declaration required that all slaves be freed by any means possible even in states that were still reinstated under the federal government. These states included North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina. This executive order was to be implemented immediately, even though some slave masters fiercely opposed this move by the president. However, the wave of change was so immense that no uncompromising slave master could dare face it.ConsequencesThe consequences that accompanied the Emancipation Proclamation were numerous. However, Paradis (2012) records that the Emancipation Proclamation failed to secure freedom for any single slave. In his analysis, emancipation was a hoax that was rather intended to strengthen the hold on the slave trade. On the other hand, the executive order that initiated the Emancipation Proclamation had an enormous impact on the path to achieving full freedom for African American slaves. As a result, there are numerous testimonies that support the fact that the freedom of the slaves was also witnessed on the same day that the president signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This however does not mean that all slaves obtainedfreedom immediately. Some were informed of their full freedom after some time. While there was verbal opposition from slave masters to the Emancipation Proclamation, no physical confrontations between slaves and their former masters were reported. Indeed, this proclamation laid the foundation on which the long-awaited American freedom was to rest. The abolition of the slave trade was central to the plight of unity and peace in the United States. During this time, key facilities such as schools, shelters, and medical facilities were developed for former slaves as a quick way to normalize them into American society. Previously, slaves were mercilessly used by the authorities and private owners to carry out various activities, including social works. When news of emancipation arrived, word of mouth was the primary means of propagation. This actually gave rise to further confusion in the slave camps as many did not believe such a thing could happen. Political Influence The Emancipation Proclamation was fiercely opposed by Democrats who cited the negative impacts the Proclamation was intended to produce instead of promoting unity and equality. among Americans. Weber in his book published in 2008 records that most Democrats had predicted an increase in violence and other forms of civil disobedience that would follow such a proclamation. In their view, the union would only remain stronger if slavery was further improved. Some Democrats have even gone to extremes, indicating that the president abused his power by issuing such an illegal executive order. The aspect of impending racism further complicated the whole situation and thus different opinions were generated regarding this executive order. There were open disagreements on both sides of the party and so everyone expressed their point of view regarding the Emancipation Proclamation. This actually led to multiple splits within both the Democratic and Republican parties. Not long after signing the Emancipation Proclamation, the president suspended two of his party's high-ranking members. Indeed, some voters strongly affiliated with these two officials, as well as those Democrats who voted for Lincoln, rebelled against him citing concerns about the president's behavior that they perceived as irrational. Greater effects occurred during the general election of 1862, where the Democratic Party gained an additional 28 seats and also won the governor's seat of New York. During this time, Lincoln himself did not see these invasions into his backyards as much of a problem because he considered them scarce. Confederate Response Given the mixed atmosphere surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation, the Confederates were not left out in this fracas. Immediately after the Emancipation Proclamation began, many African Americans were incorporated into the ranks of the army, a move that angered the Confederates profusely. To demonstrate their displeasure, they enacted a law that targeted African Americans on the battlefield. This law stipulated that any African American caught fighting against the Confederacy should be detained and charged in court as a slave insurrectionist. This civil wrong guaranteed any offender a life sentence. Although some Confederates supported this emancipation of African Americans hoping that it would allow them to be fixed in the army, some could not stand it and so went ahead and killed the African American soldiers in quick retaliation. As a reiteration of their deep commitment to promoting slavery..