History 210 Library Activities: Emancipation
Emancipation - Starting Places
The Proclomation which ended slavery, but not everywhere and not all at once. Even so, a lot of people are up in arms about it. Does it go too far, not far enough? Should it even be an issue at this point? Read here to get the basics on the Emancipation Proclomation.
Print Sources:
Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865 - E 453 O13 2013
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America - E 453 G9 2004
Electronic Sources:
- Emancipation Proclamation From the Encyclopedia of African-American History.
- Emancipation Proclamation; January 1, 1863 Text of the Proclamation from the Avalon Project website.
Emancipation - The Government
Even in the North, the Emancipation Proclamation and the drive to end slavery was controversial. After all, there were slave states on the Union side, and though the Proclamation did not apply to them, it still upset some support in the border states and emboldened the anti-war opposition. What were the divisions within the government and political parties? How were these divisions overcome?
Print Sources:
Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union - E 459 H29 2011
Lincoln's Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union - E 453 M266 2012
"What shall we do with the Negro?" Lincoln, White Racism, and Civil War America - E 457.2 E73 2009
Electronic Sources:
Emancipation - Lincoln's Viewpoint
In his early political career, Lincoln stressed that while he opposed the spread of slavery and was personally against it, he did not oppose its existence where it was already practiced. By the end of the war, he favored full emancipation and the end of slavery by constitutional amendment. What caused Lincoln's shift? Was this always his intention, or was this a gradual change?
Print Sources:
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery - E 457.2 F66 2010
Presidential Leadership: 15 Decisions that Changed the Nation - E 176.1 R228 2011 (Chapter on Emancipation Proclamation)
Electronic Sources:
- Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation : Constitutional Conflict in the American Civil War Ebook. First chapter deals with the Emancipation Proclamation.
Emancipation - The Southern Reaction
Print Sources:
Confederate Reckoning: Power and Politics in the Civil War South - E 487 M18 2010
Electronic Sources:
- Emancipation Proclamation From "Americans at War," mentions Jefferson Davis's reaction to the proclamation
- Jefferson Davis From the African American Encyclopedia, includes reactions to proclamation
The African-American Reaction--Slaves and Freedmen
For African-Americans, ending slavery was always the goal. Once achieved, what was their reaction? What challenges did they face post-Emancipation?
Print Sources:
Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the end of Slavery - E 185.2 W68 2013
Electronic Sources:
- Abolitionists From Americans at War.
- Confederate States of America Discussions situation of African-Americans, free and slave, in Confederate States during Civil War--from the Encyclopedia of African American History.
- Emancipation: Did Emancipation Improve the Conditions of Former Slaves in the United States? From History in Dispute.
- Legal History of the Civil War Era : Changes in Law and Society During the Civil War and Reconstruction : A Legal History Documentary Reader Chapter 3 deals with Emancipation and military service for African-Americans.
- Union Army From the Encyclopedia of African American History, discuss African-American enlistment..
Subject Guide
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