The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by former president Abraham Lincoln. This idea was used in significant ways. Lincoln yearned to preserve the Union rather than the abolishment of slavery. Slavery remained an enormous issue leading up to the war. The North remained illegal, while the South supported slavery to be legal. Lincoln’s personal belief disagreed with the idea of slavery. Lincoln was aware he was unable to rush the emancipation. The reason being that the bordering states would become unhappy. Those states were Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware. The succession of these states would weaken the country in a matter of time. As noted by Shultz (2010), “Five days after the Battle of Antietam, on September 22 ,1862, Lincoln made his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves within rebel territory would be freed on January 1, 1863, unless the southern states returned to the Union.” (page 264-5) The idea of the Emancipation was to weaken the confederacy and would not allow slaves to be free even if they were a part of the Union. …show more content…
This action resulted in Lincoln issuing a formal Emancipation Proclamation. During this time, the Northerners no longer wanted the Union, but aimed to start up a new union without slavery. Following, Lincoln did not end slavery. He said that if the war was won, slaves would become free. The slaves ended slavery in their own manner. As the war was approaching, Lincoln now stated African Americans can volunteer for service in the Army. This is when the Emancipation Proclamation’s timing was perfect. Throughout all these actions, all was resolved. The slaves had fought for their rights and freedom was granted. Overall, the timing of the war was used to weaken enemy forces and allow slaves to gain