Understanding Lincoln’s Actions: Examining Historical Documents on Slavery and Emancipation.Historians read primary and secondary source accounts from the past to try to assign meaning and context from the past to apply in the present. This assignment will ask you to become the historian.
QUESTION
Directions: Historians read primary and secondary source accounts from the past to try to assign meaning and context from the past to apply in the present. This assignment will ask you to become the historian.
- Read closely all 3 documents
- Write a 2 to 3 paragraph response that includes the following:
What pieces of information from each would you deem important to teach students?
What is your judgement of Lincoln’s actions?
What conclusion(s) about freeing the slaves did these documents help you to understand?
General John C. Fremont’s Proclamation
HARPER’S WEEKLY.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1861.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END.
ON Saturday, 31st August, Major-General Fremont, commanding at St. Louis, Missouri, issued a proclamation placing the whole State of Missouri under martial law, and further stating :
“All persons who shall be taken with arms in their hands within these lines shall be tried by court-martial, and, if found guilty, will be shot. The property, real and personal, of all persons in the State of Missouri who shall take up arms against the United States, and who shall be directly proven to have taken active part with their enemies in the field, is declared to be confiscated to the public use; and their slaves, if any they have, are hereby declared free.”
Abraham Lincoln’s Letter to Fremont (September 1861)
Private & confidential.
My dear Sir
Yours of the 17th is just received; and coming from you, I confess it astonishes me. That you should object to my adhering to a law, which you had assisted in making, and presenting to me, less than a month before, is odd enough. But this is a very small part. Genl. Fremont’s proclamation, as to confiscation of property, and the liberation of slaves, is purely political, and not within the range of military law, or necessity. If a commanding General finds a necessity to seize the farm of a private owner, for a pasture, an encampment, or a fortification, he has the right to do so, and to so hold it, as long as the necessity lasts; and this is within military law, because within military necessity. But to say the farm shall no longer belong to the owner, or his heirs forever; and this as well when the farm is not needed for military purposes as when it is, is purely political, without the savor of military law about it. And the same is true of slaves. If the General needs them, he can seize them, and use them; but when the need is past, it is not for him to fix their permanent future condition. That must be settled according to laws made by law—makers, and not by military proclamations. The proclamation in the point in question, is simply “dictatorship.” It assumes that the general may do anything he pleases———confiscate the lands and free the slaves of loyal people, as well as of disloyal ones. And going the whole figure I have no doubt would be more popular with some thoughtless people, than that which has been done! But I cannot assume this reckless position; nor allow others to assume it on my responsibility. You speak of it as being the only means of saving the government. On the contrary it is itself the surrender of the government. Can it be pretended that it is any longer the government of the U.S.———any government of Constitution and laws,———wherein a General, or a President, may make permanent rules of property by proclamation?
I do not say Congress might not with propriety pass a law, on the point, just such as General Fremont proclaimed. I do not say I might not, as a member of Congress, vote for it. What I object to, is, that I as President, shall expressly or impliedly seize and exercise the permanent legislative functions of the government.
So much as to principle. Now as to policy. No doubt the thing was popular in some quarters, and would have been more so if it had been a general declaration of emancipation. The Kentucky Legislature would not budge till that proclamation was modified; and Gen. Anderson telegraphed me that on the news of Gen. Fremont having actually issued deeds of manumission, a whole company of our Volunteers threw down their arms and disbanded. I was so assured, as to think it probable, that the very arms we had furnished Kentucky would be turned against us. I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we can not hold Missouri, nor, as I think, Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us. We would as well consent to separation at once, including the surrender of this capitol. On the contrary, if you will give up your restlessness for new positions, and back me manfully on the grounds upon which you and other kind friends gave me the election, and have approved in my public documents, we shall go through triumphantly.
You must not understand I took my course on the proclamation because of Kentucky. I took the same ground in a private letter to General Fremont before I heard from Kentucky.
You think I am inconsistent because I did not also forbid Gen. Fremont to shoot men under the proclamation. I understand that part to be within military law; but I also think, and so privately wrote Gen. Fremont, that it is impolitic in this, that our adversaries have the power, and will certainly exercise it, to shoot as many of our men as we shoot of theirs. I did not say this in the public letter, because it is a subject I prefer not to discuss in the hearing of our enemies. There has been no thought of removing Gen. Fremont on any ground connected with his proclamation; and if there has been any wish for his removal on any ground, our mutual friend Sam. Glover can probably tell you what it was. I hope no real necessity for it exists on any ground.
Suppose you write to Hurlbut and get him to resign.
Your friend as ever
- LINCOLN
The Emancipation Proclamation; January 1, 1863
Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:
“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
“That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States.”
Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.
And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this first day of
January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the eighty-seventh.
By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
ANSWER
Understanding Lincoln’s Actions: Examining Historical Documents on Slavery and Emancipation
Introduction
The documents presented here shed light on President Abraham Lincoln’s actions and decisions regarding slavery and emancipation during the Civil War. This essay aims to analyze and extract important information from each document, assess Lincoln’s judgment and motivations, and draw conclusions about the significance of freeing the slaves based on the insights provided by these historical records.
Analysis of Important Information for Students
From General John C. Fremont’s Proclamation, students should understand that during the early stages of the Civil War, military commanders like Fremont took decisive actions to address the rebellion, including confiscation of property and declaring slaves as free. However, Lincoln’s Letter to Fremont reveals his disagreement with the broad confiscation and permanent emancipation without proper legal authority. Finally, the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Lincoln, declares the freedom of slaves in rebellious states and provides insights into the geographical scope of the proclamation.
Judgment of Lincoln’s Actions
Lincoln’s letter demonstrates his measured approach and commitment to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. He believed that military commanders should have the power to seize property or use slaves for military purposes, but permanent decisions regarding property and slaves should be made through legislative processes. Lincoln’s actions reflect his desire to preserve the Union and navigate the complex challenges posed by the Civil War while respecting the limits of his presidential authority.
Conclusion on Freeing the Slaves
These documents help us understand the progression of Lincoln’s thinking and decision-making regarding emancipation. General Fremont’s proclamation and Lincoln’s subsequent response reveal differing opinions on the scope and legality of emancipation. However, the Emancipation Proclamation itself demonstrates Lincoln’s recognition of the military necessity and the moral imperative to address the issue of slavery. It signifies a significant step towards the ultimate abolition of slavery, although its immediate impact was limited to rebellious states during the Civil War.
In comparing the emancipation efforts of the United States to other denominations or personal beliefs, it is essential to acknowledge that the abolitionist movement was not uniform in its approach. While some denominations and individuals supported immediate and unconditional emancipation, others advocated for gradual measures or the continuation of slavery. The context of the time, including political, economic, and social factors, influenced these varying perspectives.
In conclusion, the examination of these historical documents provides valuable insights into Lincoln’s actions and the evolving approach towards freeing the slaves during the Civil War. Lincoln’s judgment demonstrates a delicate balance between military necessity and respect for constitutional authority. The Emancipation Proclamation, though limited in its immediate impact, represents a pivotal moment in the fight against slavery. Understanding this history helps us appreciate the complex and challenging decisions made during this critical period in American history.
