Transcript September 17, 1862 The Emancipation Proclamation

Chapter 11, Section 3
The Emancipation Proclamation
p. 398-401
President Lincoln’s decision to end most
slavery opens the way for African
Americans to join the Union Army.
Emancipating the Enslaved
Main Idea: Lincoln is slow to decide on emancipation but finally embraces it as a
necessary war measure.
• Lincoln’s original plan was
not to emancipate (to free
from enslavement) the slaves
- “If I could save the Union
without freeing any slave, I
would do it… - Lincoln in letter
to Horace Greeley, August, 1862
• Lincoln changes his mind:
Lincoln & his Cabinet meet to discuss
emancipating the slaves of the South.
-July 22, 1862
– Thinks freeing slaves will
hurt southern war effort
– Lee had slaves dig trenches
to protect Richmond
– Cabinet convinces Lincoln
to wait for a Union victory
on the battlefield
Battle of Antietam
• Lee’s first attack in the North
– Attempts to capture northern
railroads & supply routes
• McClellan must protect
supply lines
• Bloodiest Single Day battle in
American history
– Approximately 23,000
casualities
– Lee retreats, leaves the field to
McClellan (doesn’t pursue)
• Union “victory” triggers
Lincoln to issue the
Emancipation Proclamation
Known as the Battle of Sharpsburg in the South
- September 17, 1862
The Emancipation
Proclamation
• Preliminary proclamation
issued by Lincoln on Sept.
22, 1862
– Five days after Antietam
– Official proclamation issued
January 1, 1863
• Has little immediate impact
• Only frees slaves in states
that had already seceded
Reproduction of Emancipation Proclamation, National
Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, OH
The Emancipation Proclamation
• Proclamation is both
praised and criticized
– Some abolitionists
upset that not all slaves
are freed.
– Frederick Douglass calls
it a “righteous decree”
• Slaves in border states
are still slaves.
• Runaway slaves of the
South give the
proclamation power.
African Americans Help the Union
Main Idea: African Americans fought for the Union and made other contributions
to the war effort.
• The Emancipation
Proclamation does more
than free slaves.
– Keeps England & France from
recognizing the Confederacy.
– War becomes a Crusade for
freedom and dignity.
• 215,000 African Americans
serve as Union soldiers
– 189,000 serve in Union Army
– 26,000 serve in Union Navy
– Half are runaway slaves.
Former Slaves become Union Soldiers
GLORY!!!
54th Massachusetts Volunteers
• All black unit
– Refuse pay rather than
accept less than whites.
– Lincoln & Congress later
raise pay and include
back- pay.
• Disciplined & Brave
• Volunteer for “suicide
mission” at the Siege of
Fort Wagner, So. Car.
Attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina
-July 18, 1863
Heroes of the 54th MA
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
Sgt. William H. Carney
Receives the Medal of Honor
-First African American to receive U. S.
military’s highest honor
Boston - Monument to the 54th MA
Fighting Racism
The Tuskegee Airmen: African American pilots who flew with
distinction during World War II
Breaking Barriers (in sports)
Serena & Venus
Williams
Jackie Robinson
Bill Russell
Arthur Ashe
Jack Johnson
Tiger Woods
Fighting for Civil Rights
“I Have a Dream” speech in
Washington D.C. in 1963
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Defeating Racism?
Barack Obama: first black President of U.S.