Essays in this volume present an introduction to history of the emancipation of the slaves during the Civil War. The slaves are shown to have shaped the destiny of the nation through their determination to place their liberty on the wartime agenda. Essay examines the evolution of freedom in occupied areas of the lower and upper South. The struggle of those freed to obtain economic independence in difficult wartime circumstances indicates conflicting conceptions of freedom among former slaves and slaveholders, Northern soldiers and civilians. Essay demonstrates how the enlistment and military service of nearly 200,000 slaves hastened the transformation of the war into a struggle for universal liberty, and how this experience shaped the lives of former slaves long after the war had ended.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the slaves were actually freed. and including President Lincoln, played in freeing the slaves.
The upshot is that it not only demystifies Emancipation, which in any case, was an "evolutionary process" rather than a single "discrete act," it also puts a lie to the accepted legend that American whites were so "freedom-loving" that they fought a war entirely to ensure the freedom of the slave. Despite the well-worn and accepted legend that it was "Lincoln who freed the slaves," the facts revealed in the first essay (as well as in the logic and reality of the social conditions surrounding the war revealed there) -- tell quite a different story. The gates of freedom were simply blown off their hinges and sprung open because no one was available to close them. They were simply left to inhale it on their own accord entirely as an exigent byproduct of the "fog" of the Civil war. And importantly, the fact that whites on neither side of the war could do much about it, does not in and of itself make them, de facto, champions of black freedom. Had they been able to do so, the gates of freedom would have surely been securely slammed shut again. Put simply, the barn gate of slavery had been blown open as a result of the chaos of the war, and the slaves had simply walked out and into the breeze of freedom -- such as it was at the time. Both the North and the South, emancipation was entirely forced upon whites in both regions by the exigencies and the chaos of the Civil War. Thus, the actual "freeing of the slaves" was not a single act as is often depicted in traditional American history.
It was not a heroic single act of white American magnanimity, or an enduring act on their part -- evidence of an ever-dying love for freedom. There is no evidence in the historical records to be found that supports the thesis that whites on neither side of the war, including Lincoln himself, ever had any definite plans of freeing the slaves as a single act of emancipation.
Quite the contrary was true in fact: Whites, whether north or south, were never actually enthusiastic about ending slavery even when they were "backed" into a corner and no longer had a choice in the matter. Nor were they ever openly supportive of it, even when it seemed clear that it would happen no matter what they felt or did about it. And most importantly, even the Abolitionists, who DID support freeing the slaves (for their own selfish moral and religious reasons), were not at the time supporters of making the freed slaves citizens of the US And on this very point, it should be mentioned that even in the North it is a little known fact that freedmen there were often denied US citizenship.
To wit, Lincoln did not even agree to allow blacks to fight in the Union Army until it was an absolute military necessity, and then did so only with the greatest of reluctance. But more importantly, and this is the most telling point of all, just as had been the same case during the Revolutionary War, slaves who fought for Lincoln's Union army (or for the Colonists Revolutionary army, or the army of the Confederacy for that matter) were not freed!
Blacks, who fought on the side of the Americans with General George Washington, were not freed and made citizens of the US as a result of their heroism in the war -- even while, at the same time, the British side was offering both freedom and British citizenship to the more than 100,000 slaves who fought on the British side. The best the "Americans" (the champions, as it were, of white only freedom) could muster was a promise of exile to their own black only colony somewhere else in the world, or a future unspecified timetable for their eventual freedom in the US Which, as subsequent history has shown, were both, in any case.
The truth is that in both the North and the South, emancipation was entirely forced upon whites by the exigencies of the Civil war. After the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln, the slaves of America were free. This was a huge step in making our country truly free to all people. The construction of the South did not however work out smoothly for the freed slaves. After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, former slaves took on a new role in American society. This role was one of more significance and self worth than in slavery, but this class of freedmen was anything but appreciated. Without the manpower of the slaves, the south's agricultural society would fail, and without the agriculture there would be little money or food in the south. The passing of the Louisiana Black Code in 1865, confirmed that whites felt as if blacks could not handle the responsibility or the rights of true citizens. Whites thought they did not deserve these rights because they were inferior to themselves and simply less than human. It was almost as if slavery had never ended.
Many blacks remained on farms and plantations because they did not know what else they could do after emancipation. However, many were being forced into staying because few knew anything other than farming. Some slaves however would do anything just to leave the farm. Even kind masters lost many slaves due to the want and need of freedom. Outsiders made independence nearly impossible though. The sharecropping system, in which most had worked before, was still the only employment available and certainly the only work blacks knew as familiar. Rural merchants tried to give blacks a chance for employment, but often forced them into a position where they would sharecrop.
Some positive effects on the black community following the war. Black family and social life began to improve. Family structure turned toward a more traditional model, with the man at the head of the household completing most of the manual labor. Many blacks soon wanted to be educated and literate. Many public schools, supervised by the Freedmen s Bureau, were built so ex-slaves and their children could be educated. Black churches also offered a place where blacks were given an environment in which they could participate. Funds were raised for schooling and Republican policies were supported in these churches. By 1865, black ministers assumed political roles and the first black conventions were held.
During the Seventeenth, Eighteenth and part of the Nineteenth Century the White people of North America used the Black people of Africa as slaves to benefit their interests. White people created a climate of superiority of their race over the Black African race that in some places, still lingers on today. The American Civil War however, was a key turning point for the Black African race. Through their actions and the political actions of President Lincoln and his administration. Whites felt that the Civil War was a war started upon the White Man's issues and what possible reason would the Black Man have for wanting to fight in this war. On the contrary The Black Man saw The Civil War as an opportunity to win freedom and gain respect. Blacks in the North who were free from slavery willingly pledged their service to fight in the Union Army however, their allegiance was denied by President Lincoln on political grounds. Lincoln realized that the issue of Black soldiers would be intolerable by the public and would not be accepted. Initially, the Union Army utilized Northern Blacks from the Free states to relieve Whites from daily tasks that were essential to maintain the armies, thus freeing up White soldiers for battle. As the Union Armies began to move further into Confederate territory however, they encountered many runaway slave Blacks. These Blacks were the ones that contributed most to the Union effort. This was true for two reasons. First, there were many more Blacks in the South compared to the North, roughly four million compared to two hundred thousand. Secondly, the Black people in the South had more at stake; once they left the Confederate side to join The Union there was no turning back. Not only would they be deemed as traitors but runaways as well and were likely to face death if they where caught.
The effects of this failure to provide a secure place in the American economic, social and political system for its "freed" slaves, still have deep ramification that are felt painfully even today.
As we can see, freedom for the blacks did not come directly as a result of the emancipation proclamation. And there were plenty of obstacles and people who tried to stop them. Freedom also meant the chance to reunite with lost family members. The end of slavery meant that African Americans could more closely fulfill what they saw as appropriate gender roles. However, slowly and surely the black community earned their right to be recognized.
This is Preview only. If you need the solution of this assignment, please send us email with the complete assignment title: ProfessorKamranA@gmail.com
