Abraham Lincoln 's Emancipation Proclamation Essay

The author of this source is Abraham Lincoln, America’s sixteenth president and also the commander-in-chief of the army and Navy. He is one of the most well-known presidents and has received recognition for his enormous role in the civil war. He was a republican who served only one complete term and was killed only a month after his second inaugural address; he was the first president to be assassinated. Lincoln was not traditionally an abolitionist, his view point on slavery was that it should not be expanded further into new territories and once elected he called for a gradual emancipation. Lincoln was indifferent to slavery, his ultimate goal was to save the union and if that meant freeing slaves, then so be it.
Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation was divided into two parts. The first part of the proclamation is featured in this document. Lincoln issued this proclamation after the battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles in which General McClellan could have easily got the upper hand on the south but failed to do so. Lincoln issued the proclamation on September 22, 1862. He mentions that the second half of the proclamation will be in effect on January 1, 1863. The date of this source is important because it occurred in the midst of the civil war. Up until this document, Lincoln was very cautious to call the war as a war against slavery, he instead claimed that the fighting was over the rights for states to succeed. However, this proclamation moves the motive of…