Work record
The Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham LincolnThe Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln (1 January 1863)The Emancipation Proclamation is the executive order by which President Abraham Lincoln declared free the slaves in the parts of the United States then in rebellion.1 January 1863 · 19th Century · Political Theory · English
Abstract
Background. Early in the war the Union fought officially to restore the nation, but enslaved people fleeing to its lines, abolitionists and the needs of the army pressed the President toward freedom. Congress had already passed laws allowing the seizure of rebels' slaves.
Timing. He waited for the victory at Antietam, then gave a warning in September 1862 and signed the final order on New Year's Day 1863. He had read a draft to his cabinet the previous July.
Legal basis. Acting as head of the armed forces in a time of rebellion, he presented the measure as a necessity of war, which limited it to regions in arms against the government.
Freedom declared. In those named regions enslaved people were declared free, the army and navy were to uphold that freedom, and freedmen were welcomed into military service; border states and occupied areas were exempted. Freed people were urged to avoid violence except in self-defence and to work for fair wages.
Closing appeal. The order calls itself an act of justice and asks for the considered verdict of humanity and the favour of God.
Results. Liberty advanced with Union troops, reached Texas in June 1865, brought about 180,000 Black soldiers into the army and was made permanent by the Thirteenth Amendment. It also changed the meaning of the war and made European recognition of the Confederacy less likely.
Key figures
- Abraham Lincoln: Sixteenth President
- Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist who urged emancipation
- William H. Seward: Secretary of State who countersigned it
Summary
The Emancipation Proclamation is the executive order by which President Abraham Lincoln declared free the slaves in the parts of the United States then in rebellion. Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation on 22 September 1862, five days after the Union victory at Antietam, warning that if the rebellious states did not return to the Union by the new year, their slaves would be declared free. On 1 January 1863 he signed the final proclamation. The document is short and written in careful legal language. Lincoln acts 'by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief' in time of armed rebellion, as 'a fit and necessary war measure.' He lists the states and parts of states in rebellion, from Arkansas and Texas to Virginia, excepting certain parishes of Louisiana, counties of Virginia and the forty-eight counties that became West Virginia, which were under Union control. In those rebellious areas, he declares, all persons held as slaves 'are, and henceforward shall be free,' and the executive government, including the army and navy, will recognize and maintain their freedom. Lincoln then urges the freed people to abstain from all violence unless in necessary self-defence and to labour faithfully for reasonable wages. He announces that freedmen of suitable condition will be received into the armed service of the United States. He closes by calling the proclamation an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, and invoking the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favour of Almighty God. Because it rested on the war power, the Proclamation applied only to areas in rebellion. It did not free slaves in the loyal border states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri, nor in exempted areas. Freedom spread as Union armies advanced, and in Texas news of it was enforced on 19 June 1865, the origin of Juneteenth. The Proclamation changed the purpose of the war from preserving the Union alone to ending slavery, discouraged Britain and France from recognizing the Confederacy, and opened the way for some 180,000 Black soldiers to serve in the Union army. Lincoln knew that a constitutional amendment would be needed to make emancipation permanent, and the Thirteenth Amendment, ratified in December 1865, abolished slavery throughout the nation.
Plot or Argument
- Preamble
Lincoln recites the preliminary proclamation of 22 September 1862.
- The war power
He acts as Commander-in-Chief, as a fit and necessary war measure.
- The states in rebellion
He names the states and parts of states in rebellion and the exempted areas.
- Declaration of freedom
All persons held as slaves in those areas are declared free, and the government will maintain their freedom.
- Charge to the freed and enlistment
He urges the freed to avoid violence and work for wages, and opens the armed forces to them.
- Closing
He calls the act just and invokes the judgment of mankind and the favour of God.
Lessons
Justice and prudence
Lincoln acted when he believed he had the constitutional power and the military situation allowed. Statesmen must join moral conviction with practical wisdom.
- Why did Lincoln base the proclamation on his war powers?
- Why did it apply only to areas in rebellion?
Freedom proclaimed and secured
The Proclamation declared freedom, but Union armies, Black soldiers and the Thirteenth Amendment had to make it real. Words of justice must be carried out.
- How did freedom actually reach enslaved people?
- Why was the Thirteenth Amendment necessary?
Seeking God's favour
Lincoln closed by invoking the favour of Almighty God. He saw the nation as answerable to God for slavery.
- What does the final sentence ask for?
- How does this compare with Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address?
Context
When the Civil War began in 1861, Lincoln's stated aim was to preserve the Union. Enslaved people fleeing to Union lines, pressure from abolitionists and military needs pushed the administration toward emancipation.
Composition
Lincoln drafted the proclamation in the summer of 1862 and read it to his cabinet in July, but waited for a Union victory. After Antietam he issued the preliminary proclamation on 22 September 1862 and signed the final text on 1 January 1863.
Reception
Abolitionists and free Black communities celebrated the Proclamation; critics in the North and South condemned it. It became one of the most famous documents in American history, completed by the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.
Comparisons
- The Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address later in 1863 speaks of "a new birth of freedom".
- Second Inaugural Address
In 1865 Lincoln reflected on slavery as an offence for which the nation was judged.
- Narrative of the Life and What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?
Frederick Douglass, who urged emancipation, wrote of slavery from experience.
- The Founding Documents
The Thirteenth Amendment made emancipation permanent in the Constitution.
Quotes
“shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free”
“And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.”
For Students
A reading companion for classical Christian high school students. See the student guide.
Reading Guide
Watch for
- The legal basis of the Proclamation.
- Where it applied and where it did not.
- What it asked of the freed people.
- Its appeal to justice and to God.
Key terms and names
- Proclamation
- An official public announcement by a government leader.
- Commander-in-Chief
- The President's role as head of the armed forces.
- Rebellion
- Armed resistance to a lawful government.
- Emancipation
- The act of setting free.
Seminar Questions
- Comprehension On what date did the Proclamation take effect?
- Comprehension Which areas did it exclude?
- Interpretation Why did Lincoln call it a war measure?
- Interpretation Why do you think Lincoln invited freed men to join the armed forces?
- Interpretation Can an act be both just and politically necessary?
- Interpretation Why did Lincoln close with an appeal to the judgment of mankind and the favour of God?
- Big Question What does it take for freedom to become real for people?
Faith Connections
- Leviticus 25:10 (Scripture)
"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."
- Exodus 3:7–8 (Scripture)
God hears the cry of his people in bondage in Egypt and comes to deliver them, a story enslaved Americans cherished.
- Frederick Douglass, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? (Great Conversation)
Douglass's charge against slavery a decade earlier.
Logic and Rhetoric
Central argument: As a necessary war measure under the Constitution, persons held as slaves in the rebellious areas are free, and the government will maintain their freedom; the act is just and commended to God.
Rhetorical device: formal legal diction. Phrases such as "by virtue of the power in me vested" give the act legal weight.
Debate: Resolved: that the Emancipation Proclamation was the turning point of the Civil War.
Memory Work
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
Writing Prompts
Essay: Explain the purpose, legal basis and effects of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Comparison with The Gettysburg Address: Compare the Emancipation Proclamation with the Gettysburg Address as statements of the war's purpose.
Creative Prompts
- Classroom
Read the Proclamation aloud and list every state and exempted area it names; then mark them on a map.
- Essay
Explain why Lincoln based the Proclamation on his war powers and what that meant for its reach.
- Fiction
Write a story about an enslaved family who hears the news of the Proclamation in 1863.
Further Reading
- Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America, Allen C. Guelzo
Verification notes
Text from the National Archives transcript. The estimate of about 180,000 Black soldiers in the Union army and the Juneteenth date follow National Archives and standard histories.
No verification flags recorded.