Hesitant Emancipator Analysis

Improved Essays
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, is well-known for many extraordinary achievements. One of his most memorable accomplishments was the Emancipation Proclamation, that he passed on January 1, 1863. After passing this document, he gained favor from the Northern states, however, he obtained hatred from the Southern states. This division between the country had many negative consequences. In the two articles, “Hesitant Emancipator” by Brands and “The Slow End to Slavery” by Clancy, both explained some of the events that led up to Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Abraham Lincoln is remembered as “The Great Emancipator,” however he does not deserve this honorary title since Lincoln’s only goal was to preserve the Union. Abraham Lincoln was given more glory for the Emancipation than what he actually deserved. In the article, “Hesitant Emancipator,” the author wrote, “he did not begin his presidency with the goal of freeing the slaves” (Brands). Lincoln did not initially think about freeing the slaves, he …show more content…
In the article, “The slow End of Slavery,” the author wrote, “...declaring freedom for most of the nation’s slaves--more than [three] million men, women, and children in [ten] states” (Clancy). The lives of these innocent people would not have been saved without the Emancipation. Even though that was not nearly close to the amount of the slaves that needed to be freed, it still had a major impact. “Despite its flaws, the declaration was crucial to slavery’s end: It launched the chain of events that led, however slowly, to freedom” (Clancy). The Emancipation Proclamation opened many people's eyes and allowed them to become aware of the major complication that was occurring. It sparked many minds and, also lead to Martin Luther King Jr's “I Have a Dream” speech, 100 years

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Abraham Lincoln, was the 16th president of the United States of America, he was born on February 12th, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky in a small log cabin. Lincoln had many accomplishments. One of these are keeping the Union alive throughout the Civil War and the better known accomplishment is the Emancipation Proclamation which he announced on January 1st, 1863, abolishing slavery. Lincoln at first didn’t abolish slavery because he necessarily hated it, he didn’t mind it at first because it was thought it could preserve the Union. Lincoln abolished it because it was tearing the country apart, and after the South surrendered he had decided that the South would no longer be allowed to have salves, in an effort to put the United States of America…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On September 22, 1862 Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves held in areas of rebellion “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Since Lincoln released the document at such a perfect time, The Emancipation Proclamation weakened the South, while strengthening North. In 1862, the Union Army was suffering. During this same time period, Lincoln wrote what would later be known as the Emancipation Proclamation.…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebel states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” This proclamation was an important step towards abolishing slavery and conferring American citizenship upon ex-slaves, although the proclamation did not actually outlaw slavery or free the slaves in the Union states that still permitted it (“The Immediate Effects”). The proclamation also broadened the goals of the Union war effort, because it made the abolition of slavery into an explicit Union goal, in addition to the reuniting of the country. As a matter of fact, not only did the Emancipation Proclamation proclaim the freedom of slaves in the ten Confederate states still in rebellion, but it also ordered that freed slaves could be enlisted in the Union Army, thereby increasing the Union’s…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The contributions of President Lincoln towards the cause of liberty for the enslaved were momentous in the context of the time they were issued, as the size of effect of Lincoln's contributions were vast, reaching an unprecedented amount of people. At the peak of the antislavery sentiment in the North, along with a string of Union victories, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, that declared free all slaves in Confederate slaves. This extensive use of presidential war powers on the part of Lincoln was limited since the Proclamation did not apply to Union states with slavery or the border slave states, yet this executive order would end the injustices of a centuries old institution, liberating millions in turn. Lincoln had assumed leadership of a growing crusade of liberty, that sought emancipation as a worthy justification of the sacrifices on the part of the…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The President of the Union, Abraham Lincoln, issued an Emancipation Proclamation which allowed slaves to be freed in places under the Confederacy’s control. This proclamation put the Confederacy at a disadvantage and the Union at yet another…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The political events following the Union’s victory of the 1881-1865 Civil War would mark the beginning of a political battle between Democratic and Republican parties of the North and South. This battle would spark tempers and enrage many leading to an uprising of terror and hatred which would begin to diminish only to reignite even stronger 100 years later. The war was over but the battle was just beginning. For 100 years the South was overseen by Democratic parties, however a change was on the horizon and it began with President Lincoln and would be passed on to fellow Republicans to put the plans into place after his death in 1865. President Abraham Lincoln had not realized it but from the moment he gave the Emancipation Proclamation in…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The author shows us readers that Abraham Lincoln was morally anti-slavery and didn’t agree with it at all. Foner, also analyzes Lincoln’s thoughts and views toward slavery from his childhood to when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation and further. The book takes a real close look at Lincoln’s career, and his personal views as a politician and a person. The historiography of the topic is Eric Foner identifying influential people in Lincoln’s life. The author also takes into consideration Lincoln’s environment…

    • 784 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Emancipation Proclamation was a decree freeing all enslaved persons in states still in rebellion after January 1, 1863. Lincoln publicly announced this document on September 22, 1862, as it was encouraged by the victory of the Battle of Antietam. This decree was created because many Democrats were opposed to ending slavery and Republicans were divided on the issue. There were Republicans who were strong abolitionists, then there were ones with Lincoln, that did not want to endanger the loyalty of the slaveholding border states that had chosen to remain in the Union. The biggest priority was to preserve the Union with the continuous wars.…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For many today Lincoln is viewed as the man who freed the slaves, but to what extent does he deserve the title of The Great Emancipator? Lincoln understood that especially during the war period the the country was currently in he had to boost morale as well as weaken the opponent. After the battle of Antietam Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on the 1st of January 1863. Whether the reasons for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation were for his benefit or for the benefit of the slave population are questionable. Did acts such as this and others by Lincoln make him worthy the title of The Great Emancipator?…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared all slaves free. Lincoln was under many pressures while issuing this document, including that the war was the bloodiest, or deadliest, war in our history at the time, so everyone wanted it to end. Also, Abraham Lincoln was the President at the time so everybody was relying on him to make the right decision. This put lots of pressure on LincolnThere is lots of controversy between whether Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation for military or moral reasons. I think he did it for both, but he mostly did it, in my opinion, for the military reason.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beginning in 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation became effective. It was a presidential proclamation issued under Abraham Lincoln that had the goal of “practically restoring the constitutional relation between the United States”. One of the main goals was the succession of the southern states back into the United States. Another was freeing the slaves. He mentioned how he would use all of his power as president to achieve these goals.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nat Turner Rebellion

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Reflecting onto the time prior to the Civil war, man was undoubtedly immoral in the treatment of American Citizens. One might say it takes a leader looking from the outside in to truly see a solve a well conditioned problem. The election of Abraham Lincoln was the turning point for the upbringing of rights to African-American citizens in the United States, as he was the first anti-slavery candidate that the United States had ever seen at the time. The election of President Abraham Lincoln was preceded by the anti-slavery and abolition movement, territorial expansion, expansion of slavery, as well as a look onto the figureheads of one of America’s deadliest and well-known battles in history, the Civil War.…

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Civil War Dbq

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Abraham Lincoln, as we all know as our 16th president of the United States, Put the Emancipation Proclamation into action. This was an executive order issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, this stated that slaves be free. I will be researching about what Abraham Lincoln did leading up to this event, the outcome, and the successful and unsuccessful…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Harding argued that the Emancipation Proclamation is the result of the rise of movements of black people. He pointed out in his essay that black people began to wage war, and black people saw this war as a chance to abolish slavery (Harding, 361). People of the North began accepting the Enlightenment ideals to end slavery while black people in the South began a revolution. Harding told the audience that “Civil War created the context for a vast broadening and intensifying of the self-liberating black movement which had developed prior to the war” (Harding, 362). The force of these black movements are so strong they began to tear the slave system, its power, and began the self-emancipation of black people (Harding, 362).…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Emancipation Proclamation established a revolution that changed the law and social status of the African American race. It helped the slaves on their long road to freedom, even though it took a while for African Americans to establish the freedom we have today. Abraham Lincoln won the presidency in 1860 without the support of any Southern states. While Lincoln was in office South Carolina broke off from the Union as well as six other states and four more threatened to leave. Eventually these eleven states became the confederacy.…

    • 2572 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Superior Essays