The Emancipation Proclamation That Changed Race Relations In The United States

The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation was vital in sparking the chain of events that changed race relations in the United States forever; it freed some slaves and proved that total abolishment was possible and could be beneficial. The proclamation was a document endorsed by Abraham Lincoln that stated "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebel states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Since the Civil War from 1861-1865 lasted longer than either side anticipated, President Lincoln was pressured by Americans, in the North especially, to take action in order to promote progress and end the war. The idea of freeing slaves had been one of his core principles, but he couldn’t justify or gain support to do so before the Civil War. In July of 1862, Lincoln first presented the Proclamation to his Cabinet, and on January 1st, 1863 it went into effect. The Emancipation Proclamation, although opposed by many
Not only would it disrupt them economically, but it had the potential to harm them socially as well. The culture of the South, and of America allowed slave owners to not feel ashamed of their actions because slavery was a normality. Owning slaves could be a symbol of wealth, power, and superiority. Many whites thought that all men were in fact not created equal; the black race was blatantly inferior to them. Having this mindset created an non-human image of black people, and even allowed white people to assert that they were doing blacks a favor by owning them. In some slave owners’ minds, they were rescuing black people from their stupidity and uneducated status by forcing them into a subordinate role. Slave masters that claimed to be humane and nice had to have some level of hatred and disrespect toward their slaves; there was an overall feeling of superiority over the blacks. This entitlement lead them to continue keeping their slaves