Emancipation Proclamation

The preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862. Although on its face, the proclamation may appear to end slavery, it was actually a much more complicated document—not just a humanitarian gesture but a political, military, and diplomatic strategy. This entry reviews its import.

The Emancipation Proclamation purported to free all slaves residing in states that were in rebellion against the United States. The proclamation was to take effect and become law on January 1, 1863. The words of the measure gave immediate hope to slaves held in bondage all across the nation. Reading the document out of context gives the impression that President Lincoln has ended the institution of chattel slavery. But a careful perusal of the document reveals that the initial impression of abolishing slavery was not accomplished.

The Emancipation Proclamation was as much a military strategy as it was a humanitarian gesture by the president. The primary idea for issuing the document was to save the Union and end the Civil War. This is shown by the lapse of more than three months between the time the proclamation was issued and the time it became law. Lincoln was hoping for a decisive battlefield victory to weaken the resolve of the South, but the proclamation also allowed any Confederates to renounce the rebellion, lay down their arms, and petition to rejoin the Union. If any southern state ceased hostilities before January 1, 1863, its residents would have been allowed to retain their slaves.

Another reason for Lincoln's move was to win European public support for the Union. Before the proclamation, abolition was not a goal of the war. European nations, especially France and England, were withholding support from both sides. But with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, Europe—which had been pressuring the United States to end slavery—swung its support to the Union cause. At the very least, the Confederacy would not be able to count on any European power as an ally.

Ironically, Lincoln's carefully worded document didn't free any slaves in the Union. Four slave states fought for the Union while retaining their slaves: Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and West Virginia—the latter had been part of Virginia until the war began. Slaves in these states, which weren't in “rebellion against the United States,” were not to be freed. Slaves also were not freed in the state of Tennessee because it had been recaptured by Union forces by 1863.

Lincoln hoped the Emancipation Proclamation would speed the end of the war by freeing some of the slaves, all of the slaves, or none of the slaves. The [Page 440]official end of slavery came with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified on December 18, 1865.