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Essay / President Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation
Table of ContentsIntroductionImplementationConsequencesPolitical influenceConfederate responseInternational influenceIntroductionOne of the tasks that President Abraham Lincoln had during his term as President of the United States was the issuance of the executive order that stopped endemic slavery in America. This proclamation was named Proclamation 95 and targeted the enslaved more than 3.5 million African Americans. Following this proclamation, these slaves were emancipated and thus their civil rights were immediately elevated to the rank of their former masters. This executive order was issued on January 1, 1863. This executive order ended the retrograde Fugitive Slave Law that had been passed in 1850 and provided a mechanism for dealing with wandering slaves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Slave Prisons. In December 1861, President Lincoln expressed his satisfaction with free labor systems in his message. Additionally, he also indicated his desire to see universal human rights for all American citizens. This occurred amid pressure from various concerned citizens who directly confronted the president to end slavery, given that it was causing more harm than good to the union. Persistent rallies and direct letters to the president pushed him to proclaim emancipation after Congress passed a law banning all forms of slavery in all states. The return of slaves, as well as the re-conviction of former slaves, was abolished and thus those who were considered unfree citizens were granted their full freedom, just like their former masters. They were incorporated into the military as well as other state organizations, which allowed them to begin to fend for themselves, unlike in the past when they relied entirely on their masters for basic needs. Implementation On September 22, 1862, the preliminary announcement regarding official approval of emancipation was to the benefit of members of Congress. Official documentation and proclamation arrived 100 days later. This declaration demanded that all slaves be freed by any means possible, even in states that had yet to be reintegrated under the federal government. These states included North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina. This executive order was to be implemented immediately, even though some slave owners fiercely opposed the president's decision. However, the wave of change was so immense that no die-hard slave master could dare to face it. Consequences The consequences that accompanied the Emancipation Proclamation were numerous. However, Paradis (2012) reports that the Emancipation Proclamation failed to grant freedom to a single slave. According to his own analysis, emancipation was a hoax aimed instead at tightening the grip on the slave trade. On the other hand, the executive order that gave rise to the Emancipation Proclamation had a considerable impact on the path to full freedom of African-American slaves. As a result, many accounts support the fact that the freedom of slaves was achieved even on the very day the president signed the Emancipation Proclamation. However, this does not mean that all slaves gained their freedom immediately. Some were informed of their complete freedom after a certain period of time. To the extent that there was verbal opposition from slave owners regarding the Emancipation Proclamation,no physical struggles were reported between slaves and their former masters. In fact, this proclamation laid the foundation upon which the long-awaited American freedom was to be built. The abolition of the slave trade was very fundamental to the fate of unity and peace in the United States. During this period, fundamental facilities such as schools, shelters, and medical facilities were developed for former slaves to quickly normalize them into American society. Previously, slaves were ruthlessly used by authorities as well as private owners to carry out various activities such as social works among others. When news of emancipation broke, word of mouth was the primary means of propagation. In fact, this led to more confusion in the slave camps, as many did not believe such a thing could happen. Political Influence The Emancipation Proclamation was fiercely opposed by Democrats who cited the negative impacts the Proclamation was intended to produce instead of promoting unity and equality. among Americans. Weber, in his 2008 book, reports that most Democrats predicted an increase in violence and other forms of civil disobedience that would follow such a proclamation. According to them, the union would only remain stronger if slavery was further improved. Some Democrats even went to the extreme and indicated that the president had abused his power by issuing such an illegal executive order. The aspect of imminent racism further complicated the situation and thus varied opinions were generated regarding this decree. Open disagreements were seen on both sides of the party and so each gave their views on the Emancipation Proclamation. This has indeed led to multiple divisions within the Democratic and Republican parties. Shortly after signing the Emancipation Proclamation, the president suspended two of his party's highest-ranking members. Indeed, some voters strongly affiliated with these two officials, as well as Democrats who voted for Lincoln, rebelled against him citing their fears about the president's behavior which they perceived as irrational. Further effects were seen in the 1862 general election, where the Democratic Party gained 28 additional seats and also won the New York governor's seat. At this time, Lincoln himself did not consider these encroachments into his backyard a major problem, as he considered them meager. Confederate Response Given the mixed atmosphere surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation, the Confederates were not left behind in this struggle. Immediately after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, many African Americans were drafted into the ranks of the military, a move that angered the Confederates. To prove their disappointment, they enacted a law targeting African Americans on the battlefield. This law provided that any African American caught fighting against the Confederacy was to be detained and charged in court as a slave insurrectionist. This civil wrong justified any guilty person being sentenced to life imprisonment. Although some Confederates supported this emancipation of African Americans hoping that it would allow them to be integrated into the military, some could not stand it and so proceeded and murdered African American soldiers as a form of rapid retaliation. To reiterate their deep commitment to promoting slavery in any way possible, Confederates collectively agreed to raise slave prices. Indeed, the Confederates considered the..