During the Civil War, United States President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, making it one of the most important U.S. history documents. He issued the first proclamation on September 22, 1862, as a letter to Horace Greely (The Library of Congress, n.d). The second was released on January 1, 1863, to exert his executive order.
In the two documents, President Lincoln frees slaves within the rebellious states, capturing millions of Americans' imagination, thus changing the war's character. Such states include Texas, South and North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, and Louisiana (The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d). He orders the U.S. Executive government, naval, and military authorities to recognize and oversee the freedom of the respective persons. He prohibits these entities from repressing such people or their efforts in acquiring their freedom (National Archives and Records Administration, n.d). The President further urges the freed slaves to abstain from violence but can engage in self-defense and seek employment with a reasonable income, such as the U.S. armed service, which would accept suitable free slaves to work in stations and other areas. Such acceptance of the African Americans into the Union Army and Navy would convert the liberated into liberators (Bill of Rights Institute, n.d). Therefore, President Lincoln's proclamations in the two documents motivated about two hundred thousand African Americans to fight for the Union.
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President Lincoln does not guarantee the freedom of slaves in these documents, making the Emancipation Proclamation limited in several ways. He states that the slaves in the said designated states and specified parts can only attain freedom if the Union military is victorious. Additionally, the President does not include all states in the nation, such as Missouri, Maryland and Kentucky, and others at the loyal border, where slavery is prevalent. He exempts the Southern secessionist states, which are parts of the Confederacy and under Northern control. Therefore, it appears that President Lincoln's intention does not involve comprehensive eradiation of slavery in the entire U.S.
In the summer of 1862, President Lincoln proposed the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet for the first time. Many could not support it because they worried that it was too radical. Nevertheless, he remained committed to the quest due to its necessity and justice and eventually acquired the cabinet members' support. With such sufficient backing, the President then decided to issue the Emancipation Proclamation because it demonstrates his executive war powers as the U.S Chief Executive. He displays his understanding of his authority by justifying the documents as a necessary war measure since he must ensure the Union's victory. The President reveals that freedom of slaves is simply a means of weakening the Confederacy. He is careful not to overstep his authority's limits by applying the proclamation to the rebellious Southern states but declares enforcement through his Commander-in-Chief Powers and maintenance through the U.S Executive government.
The two Emancipation Proclamation documents reflect President Lincoln’s goals and values in various ways. His main goals are serving and preserving the Union, and so he uses his values to attain them. As an ambitious individual with self-direction and seeks achievement, he uses his creativity, offering slaves freedom, to weaken the rebellious states. While doing so, President Lincoln shows that he values human dignity since slavery is dehumanizing and a moral abomination (Bill of Rights Institute, n.d). As he declares that these persons should seek employment with a modest income, he indicates that self-worth is essential to people of all colors. The President further depicts that he is an honorable man by stating that he would use his Commander-in-Chief Powers to exert the freedom of slaves. The President also illustrates universalism by applying equality, as he instructs how the military and navy should treat the freed slaves. Due to his goals and values that cause the Emancipation Proclamation, President Lincoln initiates the total abolition of slavery.
References
Bill of Rights Institute. (n.d). Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. Bill of Rights Institute . https://billofrightsinstitute.org/e-lessons/abraham-lincoln-and-the-emancipation-proclamation
National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d). Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, September 22, 1862. National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals_iv/sections/transcript_preliminary_emancipation.html
The Library of Congress. (n.d). The Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress. American Memory . http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mal&fileName=mal2/423/4233400/malpage.db&recNum=0
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. (n.d). Transcript of the Proclamation. National Archives . https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation/transcript.html
