Blog #21: Emancipation Proclamation

The purpose of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was to declare freedom for the enslaved people in America. He begins his Proclamation by claiming that all people previously held as slaves are now free, and the government (including military and naval authority) cannot prevent those people from being free any longer. Lincoln then goes on to list all of the rebelling states, and establishes the fact that all enslaved people within these states are henceforward free. He explains that states that continue slavery are considered in rebellion with the United States, while states that have representation in Congress are not considered in rebellion. Lincoln says that the newly freed people have a responsibility to work hard for their wages, and they must not engage in violence unless it is for self-defense. He then explains that the people who are in good condition will be received into the armed forces to help the country if need be, and expresses that this opportunity of freedom and service is an act of kindness.

The Declaration of Independence can be compared to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation because both declared freedom for a certain group of people. The Declaration declared the independence of the United States from Great Britain, and the Emancipation Proclamation called for the independence of slaves from their masters.