Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The Turning Point of the Civil War - Essay Sample

Introduction

Initially, it was expected that the south would win the civil war. However, all that changed after president Abraham Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation since it did not only free slaves but also hanged the antiquity for the salutary and aided the North in the civil war, and this was the main reason why the north won the war. The Emancipation Proclamation is still considered to be the greatest achievements president Abraham Lincoln had during his presidency. The emancipation Proclamation led to the freedom of many slaves since Lincoln issued the prelude Emancipation Proclamation which fabricated the 13th amendment and encouraged other states to also abolish slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment were significant moments in the history of the United States. The two were responsible for the civil war and were vital achievements in the process of bringing slavery to an end in America.

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The Emancipation Proclamation led to many slaves being freed. The issued writing declared that states which failed to return to the union would have their slaves freed forever. On January 1st 1863, all slaves were granted their freedom in all places which were under the confederate governance and this was a significant achievement towards the abolishment of slave ownership (Bailey 33). The slaves did not only have freedom but were also entitled to protection by the state and were also eligible for employment opportunities. They were even granted the chance to work in the army and had the chance of becoming American citizens (Barnett 7). On September 22nd, Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation which gave the slaves four months to return to the union. Afterwards, all states which disregarded the command had all of their slaves permanently freed. In the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation the president had issued a warning to all states stating that any rebellion against the United States would mean freedom to the slaves of the rebelling states. The Emancipation proclamation was a fabrication of the 13th amendment. This was essential since the American constitution allowed slave ownership and considered them to be the property of their owners. Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclaim impacted the state to make the 13th amendment.

The 13th amendment was meant to finish the abolition of slavery by the government of the United States in the period of the civil war in its military emancipation policy. The goal of the civil war was to preserve the constitution and the union against the trials of the eleven states in the south to break away from the union using their armed forces. On March 2nd 1861, congress proposed a constitutional amendment as a way of trying to maintain peace and avoid more states from leaving the union. They stated that the constitution was meant to be free from amendment to grant the congress the power to interfere of abolish slavery in any state (Foner 60). After the south seceded, the slavery status in the opposing states was subjected to change. The policy of the union accredited that slave emancipation applied to back up the rebellion as a legitimate measure of war. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st 1863. The issued Emancipation Proclamation signaled a change in the expedient strategy of the military to a more settled executive policy that aimed to maintain the freedom of slaves. The freedom of slaves was emancipated through enforcement of arrogation, military means and treason statutes ordained by the congress (Barnett 10).

On the belief that slavery was more of a state issue rather than an issue of national institutions, advocates of antislavery in the beginning expected the confederacy military defeat would lead to its abolition through state constitution amendments. The Emancipation Proclamation moved the antislavery focus strategy to the state government level. The Proclamation of Lincoln stated that the United States executive government including the naval and military authorities would recognize and maintain the emancipated slave's freedom (Foner 70). The legal impact of this state government order on individual slaves was not certain. It was however generally agreed that the proclamation failed to revoke the laws and constitutions of the state that established slavery. On January 31st 1865, the congress proposed to abolish slavery by amending the constitution so as to put the emancipation of slaves on the safe constitutional side. The confirmation of the 13th amendment was finalized on December 6th 1865 and it included approval by the different reconstructed governments present in the former confederate states (Chambers 69).

The 13th amendment text primarily reflects its historic identity as the climax of a movement which was initiated during the American Revolution. The amendment's authors shunned away from reality by relying on the 1787 Northwest Ordinance language meant to prevent slavery from being addressed by the national government, to destroy it in places where it had grounded itself for more than two centuries. The application of textual fidelity to historic antislavery conveyed the congress desire to remove the founders' constitutional freedom system by making the personal liberty of people a primary concern of the national government (Bailey 36). The 13th amendment was meant to create a positive individual liberty guarantee which was evident in the negative form of involuntary servitude or proscription of slavery. The amendment acted as an affirmation of the notion that liberty, in its basic level, was made up of the rights of people of non-interference as they practiced their natural rights. Being a guarantee of individual liberty to all people in America, the 13th amendment created a minimum national equality standard. The 13th Amendment was libertarian in purpose and nature. The 13th amendment gave the congress power to enforce slavery prohibition throughout America. The 13th amendment applied to people personally acting on their private abilities. Any person who still kept slaves was violating the 13th amendment. This led to the freedom of many slaves and some even felt they were entitled to escape from their cruel masters (Jowers 7).

The Emancipation Proclamation also influenced other places to put an end to slavery. It encouraged the broader Maryland State to abolish slavery and led to the abolition of slavery all together. For instance, union troops informed enslaved people in Texas (Galveston) of their freedom (Foner 66). The Emancipation Proclamation also encouraged countries in European like France and England to end slavery. People became more hesitant to defending slavery after different nations abolished it. The union troops went into the south where they released thousands of slaves.

By abolishing slavery, Lincoln hoped that the United States would finally have the loyalty of Europe. Europe was opposed to slavery but still held on to their industrial relationships with the south. In the course of the civil war, slavery maintained a significant impression to the war and its progress. Notably, slaves in the south helped the south to initially win the war as the slaves did all the work in the factories and farms of their white bosses. This meant that their bosses were available to fight in the war and had a constant flow of resources to help them during the war. This victory came to an end after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation giving the slaves the freedom to leave their work. This made the people in the south have a challenge fighting in the war since they were now forced to work in the factories and farms they owned (Chambers 109). The slaves were given a chance to join the army after their escape from slavery. Slaves were very motivated to fight against their former masters who in many cases had mistreated them. If former masters had treated his slaves horribly, the free slaves were greatly motivated to have their revenge and defeat them. This was a masterful and crafty strategy by Lincoln and made Lincoln to be forever considered the "Last Enlightened Politician" in America (Bailey 59).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Lincoln's achievements were historical and legendary. He ultimately changed the course of civil war by bringing 200, 000 former slaves to join the Union Army. He isolated Europe's confederacy and this led to the inevitable victory of the Union. Lincoln also strategically changed public policy within the constitutional government parameters and prepared the immediate end of slavery in the whole of the United States by amending the constitution. Involuntary servitude and slavery in constitutional law were the main concerns the creators of the 13th amendment intended to address. The congress continues to enact further legislations on slavery incidents in the modern world.

Work Cited

Bailey, Diane. The Emancipation Proclamation and the End of Slavery in America. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc, 2014.

Barnett, Randy E. "The continuing relevance of the original meaning of the Thirteenth Amendment." Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy 15.1 (2017): 1-12.

Chambers Jr, Henry L. "Lincoln, the emancipation proclamation, and executive power." Md. L. Rev. 73 (2013): 100.

Foner, Eric. "Abraham Lincoln, the Thirteenth Amendment, and the problem of freedom." Geo. JL & Pub. Pol'y 15 (2017): 59.

Jowers, Maya. "The Emancipation Proclamation: A Key Factor in the Civil War."