Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation

Introduction

Nearly about a century and a half ago, one of the nation's greatest presidents Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. According to the proclamation slaves held in all states that had seceded will be considered as free. The January 1, 1863 Proclamation was a major move towards the end of slavery in the history of America and is still regarded as a major step towards the journey of ending slavery in the country and making it a fairer and better state. The Proclamation was received with a mixed response with the North and South having different opinions on it while it has also been criticized for some of its shortcomings.

Discussion

The Emancipation Proclamation is a major document in the history of America and is considered one of the greatest events in the times of Civil War. The five page long original of this document can be found in the National Archives in Washington DC. In response to the Proclamation, there were many political cartoons and prints were created that represented the opinions of the people on both sides of the issue. The bloody Civil War was in its third year when the country saw the surfacing of this proclamation which was considered as a first move towards the end of slavery in the country. Since the beginning of the Civil War, slaves were trying to fight for their freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation was pre announced by Lincoln, and it was declared by him that this order was going to be issued. It was not a law passed by the Congress but an order that applied to nearly three quarter of the slaves in country.

The Proclamation was considered as limited in some ways. The first limitation that was pointed out was that it applied to only those states that ...