Name: Karissa Young___ Block:4____
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
U.S. HISTORY CAMBRIDGE – Mrs. Angelo 2023
Directions: Read Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation document and answer the Critical
Thinking Questions below.
Questions
1. In 1861, what did Lincoln say was the
primary object of the war?
2. What made Lincoln decide that
emancipation was a military necessity?
3. Why did Lincoln refuse to free the
slaves until it was a military necessity?
4. How many slaves were freed by the
Proclamation?
How many former slaves joined the
Union side after the Proclamation?
Answers
• In 1861, Abraham Lincoln stated that
the primary object of the Civil War was
to preserve the Union.
•
Abraham Lincoln believed that emancipation
was a military necessity because it would
weaken the Confederacy and strengthen the
Union's war effort. By freeing enslaved people,
the Union could disrupt the Southern economy
and force Confederate soldiers to focus on
protecting their property and families instead
of fighting on the front lines. Emancipation
would also allow the Union to enlist African
American soldiers, who could help to turn the
tide of the war. Ultimately, Lincoln saw
emancipation as a way to end the war and
restore the Union.
• Abraham Lincoln was initially hesitant
to free the slaves because he believed
that the Constitution did not give him
the authority to do so.
•
The Emancipation Proclamation
declared that all enslaved people in
Confederate territory were free, but it
did not immediately free all enslaved
people. The proclamation only applied
to areas that were under Confederate
control, and it did not apply to the
border states that remained loyal to
the Union. As ya result, it is difficult to
estimate exactly how many slaves
were freed by the Proclamation. It is
estimated that approximately 200,000
African American soldiers and sailors
served in the Union Army and Navy
during the Civil War. Many of these

5. In what ways was the Emancipation
Proclamation a turning point in the
course of the war and in the history of
the United States?
6. Explain why you agree or disagree
with each of the following assessments
of the Emancipation Proclamation.
A.
“The Act makes clear that the lives of
our heroes have not been sacrificed in
vain. It makes a victory of our defeats.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1862
B.
“We show our sympathy with slavery by
emancipating slaves where we cannot
reach them and holding them in
bondage where we can set them free.
William Seward 1863
soldiers were former slaves who
joined the Union side after the
Emancipation Proclamation was
issued.
•
The Emancipation Proclamation was a
turning point in the course of the Civil
War and in the history of the United
States. It represented a significant shift
in the Union's war aims, from simply
preserving the Union to also ending
slavery. By declaring that all enslaved
people in Confederate territory were
free, the Proclamation weakened the
Confederacy by disrupting the
Southern economy and forcing
Confederate soldiers to protect their
property and families. It also allowed
the Union to enlist African American
soldiers, who played a crucial role in
turning the tide of the war.
•
I agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson's
assessment of the Emancipation
Proclamation. The Proclamation
represented a significant shift in the
Union's war aims and helped to ensure
that the lives of soldiers who had died
fighting for the Union were not in vain.
By declaring that all enslaved people in
Confederate territory were free, the
Proclamation weakened the
Confederacy and helped to bring the
war to a close. It also paved the way
for the eventual abolition of slavery
and the granting of citizenship and
civil rights to African Americans.
Overall, the Emancipation
Proclamation was a key moment in the
struggle for civil rights and equality in
the United States.
•
I agree with William Seward's
assessment of the Emancipation
Proclamation. While the Proclamation

C.
{The Emancipation Proclamation was}
the central act of my administration
{and} the great event of the nineteenth
century.”
Abraham Lincoln 1865
declared that all enslaved people in
Confederate territory were free, it did
not immediately free all enslaved
people. The proclamation only applied
to areas that were under Confederate
control, and it did not apply to the
border states that remained loyal to
the Union. As a result, many enslaved
people remained in bondage even after
the Proclamation was issued.
Moreover, the Proclamation did not
grant citizenship or equal rights to
African Americans, and it did not put
an end to discrimination and violence
against them. While the Proclamation
was an important step in the struggle
for civil rights and equality, it was not
a complete solution to the problem of
slavery and racism in the United
States.
•
I agree with Abraham Lincoln's
assessment of the Emancipation
Proclamation. The Proclamation was a
central act of his administration and a
key moment in the history of the
United States. It represented a
significant shift in the Union's war
aims, from simply preserving the
Union to also ending slavery. By
declaring that all enslaved people in
Confederate territory were free, the
Proclamation weakened the
Confederacy and helped to bring the
war to a close. It also paved the way
for the eventual abolition of slavery
and the granting of citizenship and
civil rights to African Americans.
Overall, the Emancipation
Proclamation was a crucial step in the
struggle for civil rights and equality in
the United States, and it remains an
important symbol of that struggle
today.
If you were president during the
Civil War, would you have issued
the Emancipation Proclamation?
What would you have done to
stop the war and end slavery?
•
Yes, I believe that no one should have to
serve anyone against their will, especially if
they get mistreated. Right away would have
made it my goal to issue the Emancipation
Proclamation. I would have made a document
so that whoever won the last battle got to
choose whether slavery ended or not. Then I
would've hoped that the Union would