Thomas Wright's Diary

Emancipation Proclamation

On September 22, 1862, President Abram Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation that declared that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in the states currently engaged in rebellion against the Union, "shall be then thenceforward, and forever free"

This didn't actually free any of the approximately 4 million men, women, and children held in slavery in the United States when he signed the formal Emancipation Proclamation, the following January.

That document only applied to the enslaved of the Confederacy, not to the border states that remained with the Union. This measure was mostly Military.
Turning the struggle from preserving the Union to freeing the slaves. This made way for the Slaves to pack up leave the Plantation. In areas already secured.

Making way for freeman to serve and fight for freedom. Although some already worked not as soldiers but cooks what ever tasks they could preform around camps and the rear.

This Proclamation didn't do much, for slaves in the border states, that didn't rebel against the Union, they remained enslaved  till the end of the war.

Little known fact the Confederate forces had more blacks moving with it's Armies than most think. They worked as teamsters cooks, personal servants.
These were slaves, but they stilled traveled with the Armies. Where the Union had very few.

So why didn't this include the border states or Washington, D.C.? Think like a General, you free those slaves in States that remained loyal. This would cause a rebellion within a rebellion. Washington, would turn into a battle field, plus a few border states were less than a days march from the Union capital. Let alone the capital being slave holders. An uprising from within.

This at best was purely, a political and military move, to make the war about slavery. Unless Lincoln had a change of views, or he finally stated what his true views were. Free the Slaves, give them citizen rights. Clearly from reading his quotes up to this point he had a drastic change of view. He was more a Colonization person, moving the free slaves to Colonies.

One Quote that stands out.
I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races: that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people.

The second that stands out.
This is only a partial quote. You can find the rest of it, in the quoted chapter.

If I could save the Union, without freeing any slave I would do it, if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it, if I could free some, and leaving others alone I would also do that.

Did he do what he thought right, or what he thought would preserve the Union? This we probably will never know. Seems Lincoln was more complex than most Americans know, even ones from other countries look at Lincoln as the man that stepped up and freed the slaves, wanting them equal as all Americans.

I must say I knew the second quote for sometime, that first one until my research started I didn't know he was that type of Abolitionist. I knew he preferred Colonization for the free Blacks. I didn't know how unequal he thought the Black People were. At least he chose Emancipation, to bring the Union together.
That I will give this complex man credit.

Yes it's short, yes I am sorry for that.
Thank you for reading, hope you are still enjoying Thomas and his life.

Have you figured out what side Thom is going to fight for?

Have I gave you  a clear history, as far as what happened, and when?

Please vote comment if you please.