Overview
This lecture discusses the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, focusing on how both supported Northern war aims and articulated Lincoln's vision for the nation during the Civil War.
Emancipation Proclamation
- Issued after the Battle of Antietam; announced in September 1862, effective January 1863.
- Aimed to bring a rapid end to the war through military, political, and foreign policy strategies.
- Militarily allowed enlistment of African American soldiers and aimed to encourage southern slave revolts.
- Politically, made abolition of slavery a Northern war aim, countering critics of Lincoln.
- Foreign policy goal: discouraged France and Britain from aiding the Confederacy by aligning the North with anti-slavery.
- Freed only slaves in rebelling Confederate states, not in the border states.
- Border states were excluded to keep their loyalty and give Confederacy time to rejoin the Union.
Gettysburg Address
- Given at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery after a major battle.
- Lincoln's brief speech emphasized sacrifice and the higher purpose of the war.
- Stated that the U.S. is one nation, not a collection of independent states.
- Defined the war as a fight to preserve a government "of the people, by the people, for the people."
- Linked the war aims to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, especially equality.
- Presented the Civil War as a "second American revolution" and a chance for national rebirth and freedom.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Emancipation Proclamation — Executive order by Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate states effective January 1, 1863.
- Gettysburg Address — Lincoln’s 1863 speech redefining the Civil War’s purpose as preserving the Union and equality.
- Border States — Slave states that did not secede from the Union during the Civil War.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the text and main ideas of both the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address.
- Reflect on how Lincoln’s words shaped the vision of the post-war United States.