Transcript Ch. 16, Section 3: A Call for Freedom pg. 473

Ch. 16, Section 3: A Call for Freedom pg.
473
 Main Idea: The Civil
War provided
opportunities for
African Americans to
contribute to the war
effort.
 Key Terms:
 Emancipate
 Ratify
I.
Emancipation
pgs. 473-476
 A. The North’s original war goal was to preserve the
Union rather than to destroy slavery. Lincoln and other
Republican leaders had stated they would act only to
prevent the expansion of slavery. Lincoln was hesitant to
move against slavery because of the border states. He
didn’t want to divide the people and make the war less
popular.
 B. As the war went on, many Northerners thought that
slavery was helping the war effort in the South. Anything
that weakened slavery weakened the Confederacy in the
North’s view. In 1861 and 1862, Congress passed laws that
freed enslaved people who were held by people active in
the rebellion against the Union. Some African Americans
escaped slavery by going into territory held by the Union
army.
I. Emancipation cont.
 C. Lincoln decided to take action on slavery. He
thought that as president he should be the one to
make the decision to end slavery, not Congress. On
January 1, 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation
Proclamation. It said that “all persons held as slaves
within any state…in rebellion against the U.S., shall be
then, thenceforward, and forever free.”
I. Emancipation cont.
 D. There were several effects of the proclamation:
 1. It did not actually free anyone. The 13th Amendment,
ratified by Congress in 1865, truly freed enslaved
Americans.
 2. Lincoln hoped that word of the proclamation would
encourage enslaved people to run away. Before the
Emancipation Proclamation, about 100,000 African
Americans left for the safety of the Union.
 3. Northern African Americans were pleased by the
decree.
 4. Because Britain and France opposed slavery, they
decided to withhold recognition of the Confederation.
II. African Americans in the War pgs. 476477
 A. African Americans helped the war effort in the North
and South. In the North, African Americans were not
permitted to serve as soldiers at the start of the war.
However, the Union navy accepted them. Others, such as
Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad, were able
to help the North as spies or guides behind Confederate
lines.
 B. In 1862 African Americans were allowed to serve in the
Union army. Both free African Americans and those who
escaped slavery enlisted. By the end of the war, African
American volunteers made up almost 10% of the Union
army and 18% of the navy. About 200,000 African
Americans served and 37,000 died defending the Union.
II. African Americans in the War cont.
 C. African American regiments were separate
from the rest of the Union army. Most
command officers were white. After protest
about unequal pay, African American and
white soldiers received the same pay in 1864.
 D. The 54th Massachusetts led by white
abolitionists was one of the most famous
African American regiments. Their bravery in a
battle against a Confederate fort near
Charleston, South Carolina, in July 1863 won
respect for African American troops.
II. African Americans in the War cont.
 E. African Americans did not serve in the Confederate
military at first because white Southerners were afraid of
a slave rebellion. Near the end of the war, though, the
Confederacy needed men. The Confederate Congress
passed a law in 1865 to enlist enslaved people. The law
didn’t include automatic freedom just because the men
served as soldiers. The war ended before any regiments
were organized.
 F. People had different attitudes toward African
Americans as soldiers. Lincoln’s opponents criticized the
use of African American soldiers. Many white
Southerners were also outraged and threatened to
execute any they captured and did execute some.
Enslaved workers were overjoyed to see African
American soldiers in the Union army.