Civil War – the Effects of the Emancipation Proclamation to the Nation
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Henry LeeThe effects of the Emancipation proclamation to the nationAbstract: My topic is about the effects of the emancipation proclamation to the nation which was issued by president Lincoln during the civil war. The things I’m really interested is the role it played in the civil war. Initially, the civil war between North and South was fought for the North to prevent the secession of the Southern states and preserve the Union. But later the main purpose of the war was changed to free slaves in the states. After the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, it turned the war point, the free slaves contributed a lot man power for the union army, and helped the North won the war to free the slaves. I found these sources from the text book and online website, like “
During the Civil War, the Southern economy was primarily based on slavery. With the majority of men fighting in the Civil War, slaves were used primarily for reinforcing soldiers, transporting goods, and working in agricultural in the plantations. The South did not have the same level of industry power without slavery, as the North did. Essentially, when Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation it was actually an strategies to weaken the Confederate states by removing one of their strongest methods of production. This decision was primarily political, Lincoln was also eagerly focused on weaken the South. However, regardless of intentions the Emancipation Proclamation basically shifted the purpose of the Civil War. The war was no longer simply preserving the secession of the union, the war was more about ending the slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was not welcome by everyone, it was a strange political maneuver and even most of Lincoln’s cabinet was uncertain to ensure that the new document would be effective. The reason that the Emancipation Proclamation is such a unsure document is because it was passed as under the President’s war-time powers. Normally, the American Presidency has very little power to decree orders. Making laws and legislative control were usually belong to Congress. The President does have the ability to issue the power what is known as an executive order. The president himself has very little power outside of what Congress allows, except in wartime. As the commander-in-chief, the president has the ability to use wartime powers to enforce special laws. The Emancipation Proclamation was one of those laws that Lincoln had used his military powers to enforce. One major political effect that the Emancipation Proclamation had was the fact that it invited slaves to serve in the Union Army. Such an action was a brilliant strategic choice. The decision to pass a law that told all slaves from the South that they were free and encouraging them to join in the fight against their former masters was the brilliant maneuver. Ultimately with those permissions, many freed slaves joined the Northern Army, drastically increasing their manpower. The North by the end of the war had over 200,000 African-Americans fighting for them. The South was got into a state of turmoil after such an announcement. The proclamation had actually been publicized three times, the first time as a threat, the second time as a more formal announcement and then the third time as the signing of the Proclamation. When the Confederates heard the news, they were in a state of severe disrepair. One of their primary problems was that the North advanced into territories and seized control of Southern land, they would often capture slaves. These slaves were simply restricted as contraband, and not returned to their owners—the South. When the Emancipation Proclamation was announced, all current contraband, fled slaves, were freed at the night when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. There was no more trade of slaves, unfair treatment of slaves, and they were all be free from that moment. These slave-holders were suddenly felt the property they always hold was suddenly deprived. Combined with the sudden loss of a large number of slaves, and influx of troops that would provide the North with additional forces, the South had found itself in a very tough position. Slaves were now able to escape from the South if they want to move to the North they would be free.