Benefit Of The Emancipation Proclamation

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Araceli Guartazaca Mrs. Tookes Social Studies 4 April 2014 The Benefits of the Emancipation Proclamation On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation; as the country headed toward the third year of the civil war. This proclamation stated: “that all persons held as slaves are, and hence forward shall be free,” however this only applied to the states that were no longer part of the union, leaving slavery untouched in other states. However the Emancipation Proclamation was needed to benefit African Americans. The Emancipation Proclamation was not a perfect proclamation it may have been limited but it did indeed help free slaves. In addition, without it America wouldn’t be what it is today. Therefore, we have an African American president: Barack Obama who is an effective 44th president. He indeed is an effective president because he stands for equality, integrity and civil rights. The president has stood up for gay rights, tried to ensure voting rights for all Americans, and set up Obama care. Barack Obama had stated the following: “This dream of equality and fairness has never come easily—but it has always been sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible. Today, because of that hope, coupled with the hard and painstaking labor of Americans sung and unsung, we live in a moment when the dream of e... ... middle of paper ... ...ssued the Emancipation Proclamation, it had become a war to end slavery. The proclamation also opened doors for African Americans to enter the army. The federal army initially did not officially accept black soldiers, despite them pressuring the army otherwise. It was until the president issued the proclamation when black soldiers began enlisting in the army. Eventually 186,000 black soldiers entered the Union army. Finally in 1865, the Confederate army ended the Civil War with their surrender. Although many people may state that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free all slaves, I disagree. It did in fact free the slaves that were in the states that rebelled against the Union

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