Abraham Lincoln: Emancipation Proclamation

At the beginning of the war Abraham Lincoln’s goal was not to abolish slavery, contrary to popular belief, the only goal of the war was to save the Union. Lincoln did not originally want to abolish slavery because he did not want the loyalty of the four remaining border (slave) states to shift to the Confederacy. He did not agree with the idea of slavery himself, but he also knew that many northerns were opposed to freedom for African Americans.

Because of this dilemma, Lincoln planned on introducing the idea of emancipation slowly. He would do this by limiting it to territory controlled by the Confederacy. When he felt he could free the slaves without threatening the union, Lincoln did so. He was extremely nervous about the timing of his announcement; he wanted it to be perfect.

At this point the war was not looking good for the Union. His major concern was that the Americans would think he was freeing the slaves as a desperate effort to save a hopeless cause. He planned to wait for a Union victory until he announced his emancipation plans. On September 22, 1862 after the Union victory at Antietam Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation. He then issued the actual Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in territories not already under Union control. As Union armies moved south, more slaves were freed until all of them in the Confederate territory, which was over three million, were eventually freed. The Emancipation Proclamation made the abolition of slavery an official goal of the Civil War. Lincoln then put his energy into passing of the Thirteenth Amendment to permanently abolish slavery throughout the nation. It was passed by the Congress in early 1865, shortly before his death.

In the end, the state executives fully supported the president's Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation showed how Lincoln did what he believed was right, even though he was not sure how the Americans would react to it. This shows that he was courageous, opinionated, and wasn’t afraid to do what what right even when it was difficult.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. He was born in a log cabin. Lincoln was born into poverty and thus only had one year of formal education. Lincoln’s education, upbringing, and childhood molded his beliefs, leadership skills, and his life in general. These traits are reflected in his position of presidency as well; these unique traits are actually what make him one of the most memorable presidents America has ever had.


Lincoln had a bit of a rough childhood. His mother died when he was 10 years old. Lincoln and his father then moved to Indiana when he was 18 years old, which at that time was a wild state, full of bears and other animals living in the woods. It was in Indiana that Lincoln grew up. Though he only had one year of formal learning, Lincoln was very intelligent. He could read, write, and cipher.


Lincoln married Mary Todd, and they had four boys. Only one their sons lived to adulthood. In 1858 Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator. He lost the election, but debating with Douglas gained him a reputation that won him the Republican vote for President in 1860.As President, he made the Republican Party into a strong national organization. He also rallied most of the Democrats from the north to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared for those slaves within the Confederacy to forever be free. Online book


We see ways in which Lincoln’s early life had shaped him into the person he grew to be written in his letters. Without having the childhood that he did, I don’t think Lincoln would have been as great of a leader as he was. "Lincoln seemed to be painly impressed with the extreme poverty of his early surroundings, and the utter absence of all romantic and heroic elements." (Herndon, 2)


Lincoln did not let his inability to attend school stop him from learning. He borrowed books from neighbors and friends and taught himself basically everything he knew. He was very determined and disciplined. Since he did not own an arithmatic book, he made one by tieing some pieces of paper together. Because of Lincoln’s determination he was an extremely successful man that will forever be remembered.