Why did Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation?

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The Emancipation Proclamation had less to do with Abolitionism than most people think. "The initial war aims were centered on preserving the union rather than freeing slaves."

However, "the proclamation represented a shift in the attitudes of the North towards its war objectives, where merely reuniting the nation would no longer become the sole outcome".

Issuing the Proclamation was actually a strategic political maneuver. And a risky one at that when you consider that there were still slave states loyal to the Union. Risky, indeed.

If I recall correctly, the Union almost lost the support of several states because of Lincoln's Proclamation. I think Indiana, Illinois, and a couple other states. (I'll post a follow-up if I can find my reference source for this tidbit of info.)

However, the Proclamation did allow freed slaves admittance into the US military, giving the North extra manpower. I believe almost a quarter of a million black men, many freed slaves, fought for the US.

and

"Abroad, as Lincoln hoped, the Proclamation turned foreign popular opinion in favour of the Northern States for its new commitment to end slavery."

You see, Britain and France never recognized the CSA as a country in its own right, the Emancipation Proclamation just strengthened the bonds of the US with foreign countries.

info in quotes found at wikipedia.org

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Now this is a pretty radical theory.

England and France were on the verge of recognizing the independence of the Confederate Government. In 1862 the British Foreign Minister had written to the Prime Minister: "The time has come for offering meditation to the United States Government with a view to recognition of the independence of teh Confederates. In case of failure, we aught ourselves to recognize the Southern Sates as an independent State." Catching the point, knowing the English aversion to slavery, Lincoln resorted to his grand gesture (the Proclamation). --Taken from "Facts the Historians Leave Out"---

To the South, like their forfathers, the war was for independence. WOodrow Wilson appraised the Proclamation as an effort to shift the struggle into a crusade against the South championing the institution of slavery.

So.. in more or less words, the Emanc. Procl. never freed any slaves in the South (although the Southerners freed their slaves while the north still hung to theirs), and since it was only for the states "in rebellion", it did not free the slaves in the north. It is very logical to believe that this is the reason for the worthless document.

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Becouse the Emancipation proclamation had less to do with aboulitionism the intial war aims where certaired an preserving the union rather than freeing slaves

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certianly not to free slaves as Lincoln himaself believed that slavery would eventually just die out. Mainly to preserve the union, that and to weaken the Confederacy as once the blacks joined the North, the Confederacy would have been left with an even smaller army. And of course he got full support from Europe which was always a plus.

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If you read the Emancipation Proclimation, it clearly states that those slaves held in states not controlled by the union would be free...and during the Civil War, Lincoln could do nothing to enforce the proclimation. It also left slavery in nuetral states such as Kentucky and Maryland as is, so as not to sway them towards the Confederacy. What it did do was to make the Civil War into a war of civil rights, thus Great Britain and France, who were dependeant on southern cotton for their textile mills, would not aid the Confederacy, as it would violate their own stance on the forbidence of slavery.

First answer by anonymous. Last edit by Snorf. Contributor trust: 7 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 121 [recommend question]