Emancipation Proclamation
... the belief that the government should not force the end of slavery. Lincoln’s main goal in fighting the Civil War was to preserve the Union. He felt that this was more important than the aims of the Abolitionists. During the first 2-½ years of the war, Lincoln had been careful to define the war solely as one to save the Union. Preserving the Union was a simple argument for fighting, and kept the Border States loyal to the Union. In his 1861 inaugural address President Lincoln declared that he had no purpose, “directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery where it exists”. (Franklin 13). Lincoln was careful not to do anything that would lead the border states to join the Confederacy, so he maintained a low key approach to the issue of freeing the slaves. Lincoln was always under pressure to free the slaves by the Abolitionists. On August 22nd 1862 he wrote his views on the war and slavery: “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union”. (Roberts 70). By 1862 the Union war effort was not going very well. By September 1862 the Union has suffered a series of defeats and was on the defensive with a Confederate Army invading the state of Maryland and threatening Washington itself. The Union Army relied on volunteers in order to raise men. With the series of defeats, many Northern men did not want to serve in the Army. The morale in the North was very low. Lincoln struggled to find a cause to rally the North. It became obvious to him that emancipation of the slaves would be very popular with the Abolitionists and many Republican politicians. He concluded that emancipation could help him achieve what he wanted, that is, to win the war and preserve the Union. Lincoln actually decided that he would use his authority granted to him by Congress to free the slaves in the spring of 1862. Lincoln then wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. However when he advised his Cabinet about his decision, Secretary of State Seward convinced Lincoln that for political reasons the Emancipation Proclamation should not be issued until the Union won a military victory. The opportunity came in September 1862 when the Union won the Battle of Antietam. On September 22nd 1862, Lincoln issued what became known as the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This stated that the Confederate had until January 1st 1863 to make peace and rejoin the Union. If they did not, their slaves would be set free. When this did not happen, on the afternoon of January 1st 1863 Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and said, “If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act.” (Young 15). Lincoln would eventually become known as the “Great Emancipator”. There were other reasons for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. By signing it, Lincoln sent a message to the Southern slaveholders that the war would now have a new goal. Also, it freed up a potential source of manpower to the Union Army. At this point Lincoln agreed to allow black men to join the Union Army. At the same time the Emancipation Proclamation would throw the southern economy into chaos. Finally, this act would prevent England from siding with the Confederates. Formal diplomatic recognition by the European powers such as England and France had been sought by the Confederacy since its formation. The Emancipation Proclamation did not directly free very many slaves nor end the war. It only applied to those slaves who lived in areas controlled by the Confederacy. The Proclamation did not apply to the border slave states: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware. It also did not free slaves who lived in areas of the Confederacy that had been regained by the Union. Therefor...