Comparative Analysis of Research Articles on Slavery
WHO FREED WHOM?
A Comparative Analysis of Two Articles Regarding the Emancipation of Slavery
Many historians have debated over the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation, in addition to arguing over who should receive the credit for the freeing of slaves in the Civil War era. Two historians, James M. McPherson and Ira Berlin, respectfully express their contrasting views over these topics in this assignment. While I absolutely agree that the slaves in the Civil War era played a pivotal role in emancipating themselves and securing their civil liberties, it was unequivocally the actions of President Lincoln that led to their eventual freedom.
McPherson, a professor at Princeton University and Civil War historian, describes in his article, Who Freed the Slaves?, that Lincolns outspoken role against the concept of slavery was vital towards securing their emancipation. Ira Berlin, professor at the University of Maryland, challenges the validity of Lincoln’s commitment to emancipation, as well as McPherson’s opinions stating that, “the true authorship of African-American freedom lies elsewhere.” These two historians debate whether or not President Lincoln should be praised for the events that contributed up to the abolition of slavery. Ira Berlin strongly disagrees with McPherson in his article, Who Freed the Slaves? Emancipation and Its Meaning. He writes that Lincoln’s Proclamation didn’t in fact free any of the slaves and that it only applied to slaves in Confederate-held territories. He argues that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t even free the slaves in the territories that were liberated by the Union armies, or in the four slave states (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri) fighting on the Union side (Berlin, 1997). Berlin suggests that the Proclamation’s text seemed like it was written with reluctance and could have been worded much more specific to set the boundaries for slavery. He insists that "the strongest advocates of emancipation were
A Comparative Analysis of Two Articles Regarding the Emancipation of Slavery
Many historians have debated over the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation, in addition to arguing over who should receive the credit for the freeing of slaves in the Civil War era. Two historians, James M. McPherson and Ira Berlin, respectfully express their contrasting views over these topics in this assignment. While I absolutely agree that the slaves in the Civil War era played a pivotal role in emancipating themselves and securing their civil liberties, it was unequivocally the actions of President Lincoln that led to their eventual freedom.
McPherson, a professor at Princeton University and Civil War historian, describes in his article, Who Freed the Slaves?, that Lincolns outspoken role against the concept of slavery was vital towards securing their emancipation. Ira Berlin, professor at the University of Maryland, challenges the validity of Lincoln’s commitment to emancipation, as well as McPherson’s opinions stating that, “the true authorship of African-American freedom lies elsewhere.” These two historians debate whether or not President Lincoln should be praised for the events that contributed up to the abolition of slavery. Ira Berlin strongly disagrees with McPherson in his article, Who Freed the Slaves? Emancipation and Its Meaning. He writes that Lincoln’s Proclamation didn’t in fact free any of the slaves and that it only applied to slaves in Confederate-held territories. He argues that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t even free the slaves in the territories that were liberated by the Union armies, or in the four slave states (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri) fighting on the Union side (Berlin, 1997). Berlin suggests that the Proclamation’s text seemed like it was written with reluctance and could have been worded much more specific to set the boundaries for slavery. He insists that "the strongest advocates of emancipation were
References: 1. McPherson, J. M. (1996). “Who Freed The Slaves?”. Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War, 192-94. 2. Berlin, I. (1997). “Who freed the slaves? Emancipation and Its Meaning”. Union and Emancipation: Essays on politics and race in the civil war era, 107-21.