What impact did the Emancipation Proclamation have on the nation?

Answer 1

Emancipation ProclamationPresident Lincoln always insisted that his aim was not the destruction of slavery, but the preservation of the Union. He often reassured political leaders from the loyal slave states that if he could end the war without freeing any slave, he would. However, Congress and the public grew more and more of the mind that slavery was wrong and should be abolished as a policy of the war effort. Lincoln, by 1862, had decided that it might be necessary to free some of the slaves in order to increase support for his administration and the war effort. He read a proclamation to his cabinet during the summer of 1862, which stated that all slaves held in territory that was still under the control of rebel forces would be freed. Secretary of State Seward convinced Lincoln not to issue the Emancipation Proclamation until there was a Union victory, so it would appear the US was issuing the proclamation out of strength, not weakness. The major victory occurred at Antietam on September 22, 1862. Five days later, Lincoln issued the Proclamation to go into effect on January 1, 1863. Abolitionists pointed out that the proclamation did not free one slave, because the Union did not control the states still in rebellion. However, it did reassure loyal slave owners by allowing them to keep their slaves while still remaining in the Union. It also served as an inducement to some Confederate leaders to make peace before the January deadline. It allowed northern commanders to make use of Black recruits, as many Blacks fled to Union armies when they heard about the Proclamation. The Proclamation also convinced Great Britain not to aid the Confederacy as the British public opinion dramatically drifted to support the Union in the Civil War. And, the Proclamation was greeted with support among many northern civilians who were growing tired with the war.

Couldn't free slaves in the south because they were not under the control of the Union.

Answer 2

The Emancipation Proclamation had no real impact upon slavery at all at the time the it was first issued. The North could not enforce it since the North was already at war with the Confederacy, in part, over this very issue. If the Confederacy had won, the Proclamation would have had no effect. The Proclamation did not abolish the institution of slavery nationwide. It freed slaves only in specific states and counties of other states the were identified in ithe Proclamation as being in rebellion against the United States. It did not free slaves who might possibly exist in places that were not specifically declared to be in rebellion. The irony of it all is that it was an edict that affected only an area which it did not control (the South), but had no effect over the areas it did control (the North). President Lincoln recognized that the Proclamation would be rendered useless if the South won the war, so he waited until the North finally won a significant battle. Only when the North won the Battle of Antietam and it appeared the North had a real chance to win and be able to enforce it, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. And to be honest many people thought Lincoln was gay just because he made the Emancipation Proclamation DONT SAY GAY

Answer 3

The immediate effect of the Emancipation Proclamation was freedom for slaves in the ten states in rebellion against the Union. This still left over a million slaves in non-rebelling slave states.

Answer 4

At the time, not much. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves not currently in Union hands - by extension, only in the Confederate Lands. The result of this was that the slave-holding "border states," such as Kentucky, Missouri, Delaware and Maryland kept their slaves until after the war. Also, the counties which were to become West Virginia were exempted by name, as were several Louisiana parishes. Those areas in the CSA taken by the Union at the time, however, did see slaves freed. As Union Armies invaded deeper South, however, thousands of slaves absconded from their owners and fleed to the advancing Union troops.

The Emancipation Proclamation was largely a wartime measure, and Slavery itself was not ended until the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. However, while it didn't end slavery outright, it certainly paved the way legally for the amendment. It's worth saying, however, that the Emancipation Proclamation was controversial, to say the least - contrary to our modern vision of the Civil War, it wasn't at the time explicitly fought over slavery, that is, an anti-Slavery North and a pro-Slavery South.

However, there was a political gain. France and Britain, both of whom had mildly supported the CSA beforehand - but who also had abolished slavery long before - were now forced to acknowledge in the face of an newly abolitionist North that support for the Confederacy was support for slavery. The Confederacy, who counted on at least a friendly relationship with Britain and France - some were even convinced that they would intervene on the Confederacy's behalf, as the Union blockade prevented precious Southern cotton from being shipped out - was now left without an ally.

Answer 5

The Proclamation gave African Americans in the southern states hope that they would be liberated. Many slaves escaped to Washington. Some made it to territories already in Union hands. Many of those unable to escape became spies for the Federal forces when they invaded, trading information on enemy numbers and movement for their freedom. As Contraband of War, seized property, the Northern soldiers were under no obligation to return the slaves to their masters/owners. Many recently freed slaves formed "Colored Units" of volunteers to fight the Confederates, or served as temporary scouts for white units marching through southern territory.