Slavery was a major problem to the society, because it violated human rights and even with the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation, slavery was still in effect. Being a slave was a violation to human rights because of the conditions they had to work through with no pay. Slaves were treated very inhumanely and were referred to as property. Slavery was not only practiced in America but also across the world, including, France, Spain, and Britain. It was not until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln passed The Emancipation Proclamation, which as an executive order did not free all the slaves, but it did free slaves that resided in confederate states or states that were in active rebellion against the Union (Schwartz, 2015). The Emancipation Proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves, within the rebellious states, are, and henceforward shall be free,” ultimately declaring an end to slavery and allowing African-Americans to be free people under the federal law (Schwartz, 2015). Even though the Emancipation Proclamation vowed to end slavery, slaves in the union states were still enslaved, therefore the proclamation did not apply to everyone. A major factor that led Abraham Lincoln to passing this policy was that there was a civil war going on. Because of this civil war, President Lincoln knew that he needed all the men he can get, including slaves or African-Americans’, thereby passing the proclamation. Slavery was a major social issue that still occurs in some countries today. Although the term slavery might be abolished, most African-Americans still get treated unfairly to this day, in many different aspects, especially through the criminal justice system.
Social Problem
Slavery was a major social problem in the colonial times in America and parts of Europe. The whites considered slaves a sign of wealth, power and social prosperity since having many of them indicated that an individual was economically developed. However, slavery was subjecting the victims to harsh working environments, with little or no food, no payment, and poor shelter. Slavery first began in 1619 when the first nineteen Africans were shipped to Virginia. Majority of the slaves were black with African descent. These individuals were brought to America by boat and sold to the whites in the south. Slaves were bought and ordered to work on farm lands, pick crops, or be house maids (Landers, 2003). The whites realized that the black men were strong and resistant to diseases, and therefore fit to meet the different climatic conditions of the continent.
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Slavery had a big impact on the man of color because they were the target population for the slave trade. They were traded and considered as imports, and this act could make live their families to a new land of torture and turmoil. This was also a violation of their human rights. However, with increasing protests and demonstrations in different states in America, different policies were gradually made and more friendly terms agreed that would favor slaves and grant them liberty and protection by the law. The ownership of slaves was relatively widespread, about one third of southern white families either owned or had owned slaves (Miller, 2018). The South specialized in the agricultural production while the North developed a variety of businesses. Since most southerners owned slaves, each family was impacted differently. While some were separated, others were kept together. Slavery was important for the European economy because raw materials from different plantations could be transported to Europe for the European industries. Slavery is an important historical problem because it reminds people of the struggle of the black man to achieve equal rights and protection from the law.
Policy to Address Slavery
Slavery was widely practiced and victims subjected to harsh working terms until the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 made by President Abraham Lincoln as an executive order to free all slaves in American states ( Schwartz, 2015 ). The decree was grant the black people freedom, though they were not subject to the full rights. Lincoln was not aiming at completely stopping slavery in the United States. His intention was to unite the country during the civil unrests and wars, as these wars gave him pressure to take an executive stand against slavery in all the states. However, white settlers in different states were against the Proclamation and slaves were not freed in Tennessee and the neighboring states because they considered the economic implications of the decree to their plantations and businesses. The policy partly achieved its goals because some of the states followed the executive order and granted their slaves partial freedom.
The policy was suitable during the time because states were witnessing antislavery protests and civil unrests, therefore, ordering their freedom was an important step to put the country to order. However, the policy has mixed reactions among the general public because, on the side of the whites, the policy could kill their businesses and other operations while the blacks considered a step towards achievement of their liberty and civil rights. The negative consequences included the increasing differences between some states and federal governments which could impact national integration and unity.
Societal Values
Slavery and the Emancipation Proclamation had significant impact on liberty, security, human rights, freedom, and service. The basis for the proclamation was to give slaves freedom from their masters and enable them to exercise their civil rights. The most important values were liberty, human rights, and freedom. The proclamation was a sign of relieve to detention and severe working terms from the white masters for the slaves. The interests of the slaves and president Lincoln seemed significant because they were positive. The president wanted to unite the country and restore civil order from wars and protests that sought for the abolition of slavery. In addition, the interests of the blacks were significant because they wanted to enjoy freedom and liberty on equal measure as their masters, who discriminated them and subjected them to dire oppression (Counter, 2002). The values were developed through the transformation of the civil war into a war against slavery, which was then legally supported by the thirteenth amendment of 1865 that legally prohibited slavery (Gopal, 2013). The amendment allowed for the formal emancipation of over 4 million blacks in former slaveholding states (Ruef & Fletcher, 2003). The president believed that granting slaves their freedom and civil rights would stops the pressure from unrests and civil wars.
Social Work Values
Slavery and Emancipation Proclamation promoted the core values of social work. Slaves were required to serve their masters with no compensation, no food, and poor shelters. The passing of the Emancipation Proclamation enabled the slaves to join the union army, where they would get all the basic needs (Hale, 2016). This promoted service and social justice. In addition, the dignity and worth of a person was restored since the proclamation encouraged the slaves to serve and help the government rebel and fight against their former oppressors. This increased their manpower and gave them skills on self-protection against any form of harm. The proclamation deprived the whites what they believed to be their properties and a measure of prosperity and economic development. The white masters had no right of compensation, payment, or fair trade for them (Hale, 2016). The relationship between the government in the North and the slaves was strengthened as more than 200,000 African-Americans joined them to fight against the South (Hale, 2016). The South had rebelled against the decree and this gave the Northern people power and permission to invade them, free the slaves and take them as their own. In addition, slaves could escape on their own from the South into the North, and soon as they cross the border, they could be free. Therefore, the Proclamation Emancipation was an important decree that ensures that the social work values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationship, integrity, and competence were upheld for the American slaves.
Economic and Political Issues
Slavery was considered a measure of wealth for the whites in different states of the United states. Therefore, signing of the Emancipation Proclamation would kill the economic endeavors, considering that slaves were also viewed as properties. In addition, slavery was done as a business. The whites brought them from Africa, where they could sell them to their counterparts to operate their businesses and work in their plantations. In addition, slavery was legal. The proclamation sough to ban slavery. It was also a leverage for the president to take advantage of the increasing rebellion from the Southerners, which was known as a civil war resulting from the ideological differences between the North and the South (Hale, 2016). Therefore, the president took advantage of the decree to preserve the union between the two sides and increase his abolition movements to stop slavery. However, despite focusing on fighting for the civil rights and freedom of the slaves, another major aim for the Emancipation Proclamation was to disarm the South, stop the slavery there and reduce their level of industrialization by removing their strongest production methods.
Current state of Slavery
Acharya et al. (2018) mention that despite the official law to end slavery, the vice is still practiced in different parts of America. The South still keep some practices through its conservative political expressions. In addition, many southern states are more likely to support legislation such as gun rights, the death penalty against the blacks, and the whites in this region hold higher levels of racial resentment, when compared to other whites in the country ( Acharya et al., 2018 ). According to Counter (2002), even after being freed as slaves, the black people, who were the major victims of slave, still do not obtain full freedom compared to the whites. Forman (2017) mentions the mass incarceration and aggressive police tactics that were imposed to the people of color. The police tactics such as pretext traffics stops and the war on drugs are specifically aimed at poor African American neighborhoods. This implies that despite having the laws to address slavery, Blackman discrimination is this prevalent in different parts of the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation and the thirteenth Amendment of 1865 are still in force and protects the American citizens from any form of slavery.
Benefits of the Research and Knowledge Gained
The research and knowledge I have gained while working on this paper is wide and will help me address different social issues as a social worker. First, the paper has enabled me to understand the roots of slavery, how it can be spread and the social, economic, and psychological implications of the problem. Therefore, as a social worker, the paper will enable me to engage with justice and integrity in my service, to ensure that people’s rights are honored in different aspects of social work. Therefore, I will participate in developing a conducive working environment for my colleagues, recognize their differences in terms of culture, race, religion, and beliefs, in order to promote unity and diversity. This will promote prosperity at individual and community level.
References
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