Road to Emancipation, but not for Everyone

The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, with Confederate forces attacking Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Between 1861 and 1863, enslaved people in the Confederacy carried out most of the manual labor to support the Confederate military. Some served as personal servants to officers. The Union gave work or protection to “Contrabands,” enslaved people who fled to the Union lines. A Union military officer in charge determined the freedom of the escapees. Not all enslaved escapees gained freedom.

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, took effect on January 1, 1863. However, it did not apply to enslaved people in the border states of the Union (Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, and counties allowing slavery in West Virginia). It’s believed that about 350,000 enslaved people remained in those states.

Ending slavery was never a goal of the Civil War. The Proclamation was a military document to prevent the secession of the Southern states and preserve the Union. After the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln’s Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, stated all enslaved people in Confederate states or parts of states would be free on January 1, 1863. It also noted that the Union Army and Navy would now accept Black men. By the end of the war, Black people were ten percent of those fighting. Besides inspiring all Black people to support the Union cause, Lincoln hoped to prevent England and France from recognizing the Confederacy or providing military aid to it. 

The most significant limitation of the Emancipation Proclamation was that its promises depended upon a Union military victory. Complete abolition did not come until the 13th Amendment in December 1865.

Next week, we will look at firsthand accounts of this time.