The Significance of the Emancipation Proclamation

The Significance of the Emancipation Proclamation

When the civil war began, the United States was fighting a war that held the nations unity in its grasp. The southerners fought to secede the Union and establish themselves as a separate country while Lincoln fought to keep the country united. Near the end of the Civil War, Lincoln set into a place the Emancipation Proclamation, which changed the emotions attached to the war. It was no longer about sovereignty; it transformed into a fight against slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation immediately ended slavery in the states that now called themselves the Confederacy, but excluded boarder and northern states because it only targeted states that were causing a problem. Despite the immediate result of freeing the slaves in the confederacy and changing the reason for the war, The Emancipation Proclamation had a minute effect on the people it was actually supposed to help but its unforeseen consequences made it successful.

Even thought the Emancipation Proclamation did not serve its primary purpose, it helped ensure that the war would remain confined in the United States and that the south would receive no outside aid. By making the war about slavery, Lincoln ensured that England and France would not rush to the South's aid. The south enlisted foreign help because they knew that their northern enemies out powered them both economically and in number. Therefore they sought help from powerful England and France. When the war was viewed as a war for southern independence, England and France could have helped the south fight against their northern rivals who had previously separated from England during the American Revolution. As soon as Lincoln changed the wars purpose to ending slavery, France and England could not longer aid the south without appearing as if they condoned slavery. They were forced to remain neutral. This was a smart tactic on Lincoln's part because without foreign aid, the north had more manpower, recourses and money than the south.

The Emancipation proclamation also caused severe economic repercussions in both the north and the south. As soon as slaves heard about their newly acquired freedom, many of them moved up north. This created a huge gap in the southern work force and white males now had to work these less desirable jobs in order to sustain some sort of income. This created