The Emancipation Proclamation :: essays research papers

The Emancipation Proclamation     The emancipation proclamation was issued by Abraham capital of Nebraska on January 1,1863, during the American Civil War, declaring solely " buckle downs within any State, ordesignated part of a State... then... in rebellion,... shall be then,thenceforward, and forever free." The states affected were enumerated in theproclamation specifically exempted were slaves in parts of the South then heldby Union armies. Lincolns issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation marked a subject change in his policy.     After out break of the Civil War, the thrall issue was made acute bythe flight to Union lines of grown numbers of slaves who volunteered to fightfor there freedom and that of there fellow slaves. In these circumstances, astrict application of established policy would have involve return of fugitiveslaves to their masters.     Abolitionists had long been urging Lincoln to free all slaves, andpublic opinion suported that view. Lincoln moved slowly and cautiously nonethe little on March 13, 1862, the federal government fforbade all Union phalanx officersto return fugitive slaves, thus annulling in effect the fugitive slave laws. OnApril 10, on Lincolns initiative, congress declared the federal governmentwould compenste slave owners who freed their slaves. All slaves in the Districtof Columbia were freed in this way on April 16, 1862 . On June 19, 1862, sexual intercourse enacted a measure prohibiting slavery in joined States territories,thus defying the supreme court decision in the Dred Scott case, which ruled thatCongress was powerless to regulate slavery in the territories.     Finaly, after the union advantage in the battle of antietam, Lincolnissued a preliminary proclamation on September 22, declaring his intention ofpromulgating another proclamathion in 100 days, freeing the slaves in the statesdeemed in rebellion at that time.