Emancipation Proclamation  "To Help The North Win The War"  January 1, 1863

Throughout his political career, President Abraham Lincoln had opposed slavery as a moral wrong, but he knew slavery was sanctioned by the Constitution and he respected the law. Besides, the border states that remained in the Union were slave states, and the war effort could little afford to repay their loyalty with the freeing of their slaves. Several of Lincoln's military commanders had attempted to emancipate the slaves in their districts, but each time Lincoln countermanded the orders.

Utilizing the broad range of powers the Constitution gives presidents during national emergencies, Lincoln was able to issue the Emancipation Proclamation as a measure to help the North win the war. Slavery was an asset to the South's war effort in that it provided a readily available labor force for the Confederate armies and allowed production to continue on the home front while the men fought the battles. Telling the slaves that they were free could possibly incite them to rebel against their masters, thus opening a new front in the prosecution of the war. Also, once Lincoln took this major step, any hopes the Confederate states may have had of foreign intervention on their side were immediately dashed. Once slavery became a central issue in the war, England and France could no longer contemplate aiding the Confederacy.

Still, Lincoln could not bring himself to lose the good faith of slave owners in the loyal states of Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland, and Missouri; therefore, he did not free any slaves in New Orleans, northern Virginia, much of Tennessee, the South Carolina coast, and any other areas of the Southern states already under federal control. Lincoln's emancipation proclamation freed only the slaves in rebellious areas of the country- areas administered by the Confederate government where, ironically, the federal government had no control.

Fascinating Fact:  On August 39, 1861, Gen. John C. Fremont declared freedom for the slaves of all secessionists in Missouri. Lincoln revoked the order.


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