Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: A Historical Analysis

This homework assignment provides a detailed analysis of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. The paper explores the historical context of the proclamation, its significance in the fight against slavery, and its impact on the lives of enslaved people. The analysis delves into the nuances of emancipation versus freedom, examining how Lincoln's speech aimed to not only grant freedom but also establish a foundation for the newly freed population within American society. The assignment examines the key points of the proclamation, including Lincoln's requests for slaves to work freely, serve honestly, and receive fair wages, as well as the invitation to join the military. The paper also addresses concerns about potential crime and unrest following emancipation, and the importance of skill development for the newly freed citizens. The assignment is based on the provided text and requires a minimum of two pages, double-spaced, with proper grammar and citations. It uses details from the text to support the essay.

Abraham Lincoln the emancipation proclamation
A declaration made by the most powerful man on the earth allowed almost three million
slaves of the USA to live a life of their choice. Nobody was aware of the fact that this one
announcement will change the history of the USA forever and make it one of the fairest and
strongest democracies in the world. This was the fateful day of January one 1863. Late
President Abraham Lincoln declared that the practice of slavery is illegal in the USA.
Now, this declaration raises one very serious question if the rest of the United States was free
at that point in time, then why slavery was still in practice. Prior to giving an answer to this
question, we would like to raise another question. The official denouncement of the slavery
was enough to evaporate the stink of the colonial hangover from the psychology of the
residents of the free USA or it was only a token or an announcement to discourage the
opponents that were forcing a civil war on the country.
The answer to the above two questions lies under the definition of this term emancipation,
emancipation is different from freedom. We can also say that freedom is a thought process;
however, emancipation is a deeply rooted concept. Freedom gives you a right to fly freely in
the sky; emancipation, on the other hand, gives you a concrete base where you can enjoy your
freedom to the fullest. It is true that freedom allows a person to live a life of choice.
However, in the final count, it is the emancipation that matters most.
Three points of the proclamation speech of Abraham Lincoln gives us an indication that it
was freedom along with an attempt to introduce emancipation. In this speech, President
Lincoln requested all the slaves to work freely, serve honestly and charge optimum wages

(Lincon). It was not an order given by the president, it was an appeal made by a mass leader on
the humanitarian ground. This clearly states that government officials were ready to accept
this new population in the society and they were committed to giving them equal footing with
their counterparts.
Another important part of the speech was related to an invitation where Mr. Abraham Lincoln
invited them to be a part of the military forces. This invitation gives us a clear indication that
most of the slaves were invited to join the US military or the police. It shows that there was
no anti-trust issue between government, society, and slaves who were becoming free after the
proclamation of the US president.
Right after the independence some of the senate members and slave lords were of the idea
that complete freedom can force these slaves to commit crimes. Because, after the
proclamation of the slave freedom, these slaves will become expensive for the lords, in the
absence of proper work slaves can take a resort in crimes and it can bring unrest in a society
which is facing a civil war. This is why many thinkers of that era were of the opinion that
slaves should be allowed to develop their skills in the area of their choices and start their new
life as a free citizen living in the USA.

Bibliography
Brinkley. The United States, issue, ideas, institutions core 100 for the College of Staten Island. Cuny:
Tata Mcgrew Hill, ISBN 13, 9780077634636, 2007.