th
11
Grade Research Project
Mr. Levanowitz
Mr. 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.
Antietam
September 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 Proclamation
Was 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 Citationhttp://www.bathcsd.org/webpages/hslib/resour
ces.cfm?subpage=42304
Website Evaluation
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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