11th Grade Research Project

Mr. LevanowitzMr. Cotton

The Emancipation Proclamation

Research Question:

• Did Lincoln free the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation? Or did Lincoln not free any slaves?

A Quick Historical Background

• Lincoln is elected as President in 1860 on a platform to preserve the Union and contain slavery where is exists, preventing slavery from entering the territories.

• The Southern states viewed Lincoln as a tyrant and a threat to their way of life by taking away their rights to property. Eleven states secede (break away) from the Union.

Lincoln Quote:

“…My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that….”Abraham Lincoln in a letter to Horace Greeley, August 1862.

Slave States / Border States/Free States/ Territories

Lincoln Quote:

"I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky."

Abraham Lincoln Issues:• Kentucky is a Union-Slave State.• Kentucky is likely to change sides if Lincoln pushes to abolish slavery. • Strategically, losing Kentucky would bring the Confederacy to the Ohio River. A state population would fight against the Union and supplies to Union Troops will be hindered.

Foreign Powers

England, France, and Russia all had an interest in the war.• They needed cotton grown in the South for

their textile mills in Europe.• They feared a strong United States as an

industrial competitor.

Southern Strategy

• Withhold Cotton from Europe and cause economic hardship. Europe will need trade from the south to get factories working again.

• This will force foreign recognition and establish allies to win Southern independence.

Other Northern Issues on Emancipation

• Is it Constitutional to free the slaves?• Will it appear weak and desperate to free the

slaves?• How will the Border States (Missouri,

Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware) react?• How will the Free-Northern states react?

Lincoln and Seward

Lincoln meets with Secretary of State William Seward about emancipating the slaves in July 1862. Seward convinces Lincoln to wait until a Federal victory.

Lincoln places the Emancipation Proclamation in his desk drawer.

AntietamSeptember 17, 1862

Near Sharpsburg, Maryland

Gen. George McClellan (U.S.) wins a ‘victory’ and stops Gen. Robert E. Lee’s (C.S.A.) invasion of the North. It is the bloodiest single day in American history with over 23,000 casualties.

Although the Union Amy suffered heavily and lost an opportunity to completely destroy the rebel army, Lincoln used this victory to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The law goes into effect on January 1, 1863.

It emancipates slaves only in states, or parts of states, that are in rebellion.

Emancipation?

Did Lincoln really emancipate any slaves?…read the emancipation.

The Emancipation ProclamationWas it a calculated political document to…• Expand Presidential powers?• Prevent foreign intervention?• Pacify some anti-slavery radicals?• Take man-power from the South by encouraging slaves to escape and fight

for the North?• Undermine the South by making the war into a moral cause?

Research Skills

You will need to use a variety of resources:• Print materials.• Reference materials.• Primary and secondary sources.• Internet sources.• Databases.

Information Resources

• Need to be verified. (Wikipedia is a decent place to start but EVERYTHING must be verified.)• Properly cited. MLA Citation- http://www.bathcsd.org/webpages/hslib/resources.cfm?subpage=42304

Website Evaluation

• All About Explorers• AFDB• DHMO• National Portrait Gallery• Wikipedia• National Archives• Social Studies for Kids

Website Evaluation

Things to look for or question about a website:• What is the purpose of the website?• How current/up-to-date is the website?• What type of site is it? (.com, .edu, .org, etc.)• What are the credentials of the author?• Is there bias or opinion?• Who maintains the website?• Are there any factual errors or typeohs? • Is there enough content? Or is the content too general?

Primary and Secondary Sources