27 pages 54 minutes read

Abraham Lincoln

Emancipation Proclamation

Nonfiction | Essay / Speech | Adult | Published in 1863

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Themes

Emancipation and Freedom

The Emancipation Proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves” in the territory controlled by the rebellious states of the Confederacy “are, and henceforward shall be free” (Paragraph 2). With the stroke of a pen, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation changed the aims of the Civil War. It was initially fought only for the preservation of the Union; now, the Union fought to end slavery in the United States and to realize the Declaration of Independence’s claim that “all men are created free and equal” (“Declaration of Independence: A Transcription.” Archives.gov). The shift in the war’s aim and purpose was clear, even though the text of the proclamation itself was limited in scope. Contemporary observers recognized that once slavery no longer existed in the stronghold of the Southern states, it would not prevail, either, in the border states.

The Emancipation Proclamation marked an important step on the way to the abolition of slavery, and it was celebrated for the first 100 years or so after its issuance with more fervor than the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery itself. Lincoln himself said at the time of signing it, “If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it” (“

blurred text

blurred text

Related Titles

By Abraham Lincoln

Plot Summary

logo

Cooper Union Address

Abraham Lincoln

Cooper Union Address

Abraham Lincoln

Study Guide

logo

Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln

Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln

Study Guide

logo

House Divided Speech

Abraham Lincoln

House Divided Speech

Abraham Lincoln

Study Guide

logo

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

Abraham Lincoln