Process Paper
When searching for a topic, I was interested by one of the biggest turning points in American history, the American Civil War. I chose the topic of the Emancipation Proclamation, and how it affected the Civil War.
I started my research with the Emancipation Proclamation itself. Another primary source was a letter from Abraham Lincoln to Albert Hodges, editor of the Commonwealth. In the letter, Lincoln states that he believes slavery is wrong, but until 1863 could not find a constitutional way to abolish it. A New York Times editorial by Professor Richard Striner discusses how the Emancipation Proclamation was a turning point in the war since it increased the intensity of the fighting on both sides. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America, by history professor Allen Guelzo, gives a broad overview of Lincoln's Proclamation. In an article, historian Eric Foner states that "the Emancipation Proclamation is one of the crucial turning points of the American Civil War." The Lincoln Institute provided a website article explaining Lincoln’s concept of compensated emancipation, where he would pay states to free their slaves. The Declaration of Causes for the seceding states explained the southern states’ views on blacks in America. The differences between the economies of the North and South were discussed in History Central’s article, The Economics of the Civil War. The History Channel website provided videos with noted historians. They were also discussed in two other sources, one was a scholarly journal article, and one was a website. In the video “Civil War Turning Point,” history professor Bruce Levine states that the Civil War turned following the Proclamation because tens of thousands of prior slaves from the southern states joined the Union Army. In the video “Emancipation Proclamation,” Doris Kearns Goodwin explains that the Proclamation should be issued after a victory so it won’t seem like an act of desperation.
In the 1860’s, the United States were on the brink of becoming two separate countries. Lincoln was always opposed to slavery, but he knew if the Civil War was about slavery from the beginning, the Confederacy would have won and the United States would not have remained as a single country. So he had to figure out when and how to enact the Emancipation Proclamation to preserve the Union and abolish slavery. Lincoln determined that he could use his Commander-in-Chief power to issue the Proclamation to help the Union with the war effort, preserving the country as a whole. The Proclamation declared that all slaves in areas under rebellion were considered free. This was a turning point in the Civil War, as over 100,000 Confederate slaves joined the Union army, helping the Union to victory. Once the Union won the war, the country remained a single entity. Following the Union victory, the 13th amendment was ratified which abolished slavery. Therefore, the Emancipation Proclamation was a key event in the Union winning the war and was instrumental in abolishing slavery in the United States.
I started my research with the Emancipation Proclamation itself. Another primary source was a letter from Abraham Lincoln to Albert Hodges, editor of the Commonwealth. In the letter, Lincoln states that he believes slavery is wrong, but until 1863 could not find a constitutional way to abolish it. A New York Times editorial by Professor Richard Striner discusses how the Emancipation Proclamation was a turning point in the war since it increased the intensity of the fighting on both sides. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America, by history professor Allen Guelzo, gives a broad overview of Lincoln's Proclamation. In an article, historian Eric Foner states that "the Emancipation Proclamation is one of the crucial turning points of the American Civil War." The Lincoln Institute provided a website article explaining Lincoln’s concept of compensated emancipation, where he would pay states to free their slaves. The Declaration of Causes for the seceding states explained the southern states’ views on blacks in America. The differences between the economies of the North and South were discussed in History Central’s article, The Economics of the Civil War. The History Channel website provided videos with noted historians. They were also discussed in two other sources, one was a scholarly journal article, and one was a website. In the video “Civil War Turning Point,” history professor Bruce Levine states that the Civil War turned following the Proclamation because tens of thousands of prior slaves from the southern states joined the Union Army. In the video “Emancipation Proclamation,” Doris Kearns Goodwin explains that the Proclamation should be issued after a victory so it won’t seem like an act of desperation.
In the 1860’s, the United States were on the brink of becoming two separate countries. Lincoln was always opposed to slavery, but he knew if the Civil War was about slavery from the beginning, the Confederacy would have won and the United States would not have remained as a single country. So he had to figure out when and how to enact the Emancipation Proclamation to preserve the Union and abolish slavery. Lincoln determined that he could use his Commander-in-Chief power to issue the Proclamation to help the Union with the war effort, preserving the country as a whole. The Proclamation declared that all slaves in areas under rebellion were considered free. This was a turning point in the Civil War, as over 100,000 Confederate slaves joined the Union army, helping the Union to victory. Once the Union won the war, the country remained a single entity. Following the Union victory, the 13th amendment was ratified which abolished slavery. Therefore, the Emancipation Proclamation was a key event in the Union winning the war and was instrumental in abolishing slavery in the United States.