What date did Abraham Lincoln sign the Emanicaption Proclamation?

Answer 1

Lincoln signed the final draft of the Declaration on 1 January 1863. However please allow me to add these comments. Lincoln was reluctant to issue an Emancipation Proclamation but you would have thought from what one is taught in class these days this was his primary concern. He issued the proclamation to save the Union making impossible for foreign Governments to intervene on behalf of the Confederacy. Even though the English supported (indirectly) slavery, they like other countries were officially against the practice. By his actions, Lincoln was showing the US was against slavery but not the Confederacy. If like the leaders of these countries at the time, you took the time to read and study the act you would see it does nothing and in fact, Lincoln thought that the Afro American was not the equal of whites and his plan was to resettle the slaves in either the Amazon or Western Texas.

Most people are not aware that there was a series of action and even proclamations for instance Lincolns correspondence of October 14, 1862 to the military and civilian authorities of occupied Louisiana.

“Major General Butler, Governor Shepley, & and [sic] all having military and naval authority under the United States within the S[t]ate of Louisiana. The bearer of this, Hon. John E. Bouligny, a citizen of Louisiana, goes to the State seeking to have such of the people thereof as desire to avoid the unsatisfactory prospect before them, and to have peace again upon the old terms under the constitution of the United States, to manifest such desire by elections of members to the Congress of the United States particularly, and perhaps a legislature, State officers, and United States Senators friendly to their object. I shall be glad for you and each of you, to aid him and all others acting for this object, as much as possible. In all available ways, give the people a chance to express their wishes at these elections. Follow forms of law as far as convenient, but at all events get the expression of the largest number of the people possible. All see how such action will connect with, and affect the proclamation of September 22nd. Of course, the men elected should be gentlemen of character willing to swear support to the Constitution, as of old, and known to be above reasonable suspicion of duplicity. (CW 5:462-3, italics added).

NOTE: The italic show that Lincoln rather then issue an Emancipation Proclamation or free the slaves was still willing to allow the Southern States back into the Union. One will find this all the way up to the 1865 visit to Camp Lookout.

At the same time Lincoln was issuing the Emancipation Proclamation he was petitioning his cabinet to negotiate and appropriate funds to force the Blacks else where.

In 1864, Jeff Davis and other Southerner leaders would contemplate outlawing slavery and probably would have if the opportunity had arisen.

God Bless You and The Southern People.

Answer 2

Abraham Lincoln Sign

Answer 3

Actually, it's not quite as simple as some suggest.

Lincoln issued a 'preliminary' Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, shortly after the Union victory at Antietam (he waited for a Union victory to give it greater credibility).

At that time he announced that it would be put into effect the following New Year's if the Southern states did not end their rebellion. They did not, and he issued the final form of the Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

As for those who say it was meaningless and did not free anyone at all, sorry but they are dead wrong! The Proclmation first of all ESTABLISHED the freedom of slaves who had fled behind Union lines --promising they would NOT be returned to their masters. Second, this promise encouraged other slaves to free (thus their own acts *together with* the proclamation freed them). Finally, though it did not IMMEDIATELY free slaves in territories not under Union control, it assured that, as soon as Union armies DID take an area, the slaves were to be freed (and that is exactly what happened).

I should add that this action helped support the OTHER actions Lincoln took to secure the freedom of ALL slaves, in both North and South. That is, alongside this action he lobbyied thestate legislatures of border states in which slavery still existed (e.g. Maryland) to abolish it and pushed hard for passage of the 13th amendment.

Note: for those who complain that Lincoln did not himself act to free any NORTHERN slaves -- he did not have the Constitutional authority to do so!! He issued the Emancipation Proclamation by his "war powers" as comander-in-chief. And his other actions in support of established freedom in the North --including abolishing slavery in Washington D.C (which the federal government DID have power to do) and lobbying for the 13th amendment (even pushing for quick statehood for Nevada to gain extra votes for ratifying the amendment) show that he did indeed care about this matter beyond any short-termed strategic calculation.

Sadly, folks like Southron are content to use dubious and cherry-picked quotes that distort Lincoln's views and do not allow for the possibility that his views ever changed. It seems they have no interest in reading through his writings themselves before telling us confidently 'what he really said' or meant, or in consulting the host of well-credentialed scholars on Lincoln and the period who disagree with them (why is that so threatening?)

Answer 4

January 1, 1863

Answer 5

google it, hon. You'll also find it a worthless piece of work.... it had to do with freeing the slaves, but the slaves were in the south, (blacks in the north were already free....)and the south had already seceded from the union, and was going to try to make it stick.... but Lincoln was no fool... he wanted it in place just in case the north won.... At the time, however, it was a political ploy.