United States History Student Edition

The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation Before the Cabinet, by Francis B. Carpenter, was painted at the White House in 1864 from a reenactment.

On September 22, 1862, Lincoln announced that he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation (ih•mant•suh•PAY•shuhn prah•kluh•MAY•shuhn). On January 1, 1863, this decree took effect, legally freeing all people enslaved in rebel-held territory in the South. The Emancipation Proclamation did not change the lives of all enslaved people overnight. The border states remained loyal to the Union, so enslaved people living there remained in bondage. What is more, the Union was not capable of enforcing emancipation in rebel-held territory in the South. However, many enslaved African Americans engaged in self-emancipation, continuing to free themselves by fleeing to Union camps behind the battle lines. The Emancipation Proclamation had a strong impact. With it, the government declared slavery to be wrong. It was clear that a Union victory would end slavery in the United States. Lincoln was aware of this significance: “I never in my life felt more certain that I am doing right than I do in signing this

paper. . . . If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Explaining How did the Emancipation Proclamation change the focus of the war? LESSON ACTIVITIES 1. Narrative Writing Suppose that you are a soldier who has survived the Battle of Antietam. Write a letter home to your family in which you describe some of your experiences, discuss your expectations for the coming weeks, and assess your side’s prospects for winning the war. 2. Interpreting Information With a partner, write a short story from the perspective of a witness to either the Battle of Bull Run or the battle between the Monitor and the Virginia . Engage your readers by using descriptive, historically accurate details. Read your story aloud and record it to be played for the class.

PHOTO: Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division; TEXT: Lincoln, Abraham. Comment on signing Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863. Retrieved from National Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/emancipation-proclamation 08/03/2020.

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