Unit 5: Lesson 5; African Americans and the Emancipation Proclamations (AP US HIS SA)

The Draft Riots

The Conscription Act, the first draft ever passed in the United States, sparked the riots, which lasted four days and resulted in the deaths of more than 120 people; Irish Catholic immigrants, mostly laborers comprising one of the lowest white social classes, reacted to the draft and to rumors circulated by Democrats that the Lincoln administration hoped to bring freed African Americans north to take Irish Catholic jobs; They burned draft offices, attacked African American communities, and lynched many African Americans

Fear of Emancipation

From the onset of the war, Lincoln had been pressured by radical Republicans and abolitionists to emancipate all slaves; Lincoln's primary concern was the preservation of the Union, and he rejected emancipation for fear of its effect on that Union; feared that emancipation would cause unrest among labor populations in Northern cities who did not want workforce competition from an influx of freed slaves; also worried that such a move would cause the border slave states that had remained loyal to the Union to secede and would cause the resignation of Union soldiers and officers who had enlisted to preserve the Union, not to free slaves

1st Confiscation Act

1861, Congress passed the first Confiscation Act to address the issue of declaring slaves as contraband; declared that slaves who had been used in the Confederate war effort were captives of war and were not to be returned

1815 First Colonization Attempt

African American Quaker Paul Cuffe, a sea captain, transported 38 free African Americans to Sierra Leone in 1815; Cuffe felt African Americans could find a better life in Africa, away from slavery and discrimination in America; Cuffe was a prosperous man and invested heavily in the colonization movement; There is a town named after him in Liberia; Cuffe was a leader in other ways, as well, providing an integrated school on his own land and leading African Americans in tax protests based on the concept of no taxation without representation

1829-1850 African Americans and the Abolitionist Movement

African Americans played a number of key roles in the abolitionist movement in the antebellum period; They worked to change voting laws and organized protests against segregation in the North; Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, William Wells Brown, and others spoke to abolitionist groups around the country; They showed that slaves were neither ignorant nor satisfied under slavery, both popular arguments against emancipation; On the Underground Railroad, runaway slave Harriet Tubman returned to the South 19 times to help more than 300 slaves escape to the North

Abolitionism

African Americans played an increasingly large role in the abolitionist movement in the years leading up to the Civil War; By the 1850s, African American abolitionists often had a significantly different agenda from that of white abolitionists, though they continued to work closely together; These changes reflected changes taking place in society at large; As the population of free African Americans grew in the North, their attention was given to practical matters such as developing a support system for escaped slaves, agitating against Northern segregation, and looking for concrete ways to end slavery

All-Black Regiments

African Americans soldiers faced racism, segregation, and inequality Recruits were formed into all-black regiments to minimize conflicts with white soldiers who objected to serving with black recruits; These regiments were usually organized under a white commander; there were only about 80 African American commissioned officers in the Union army; --------- First Regiment: The first black regiment formed after the Emancipation Proclamation was the 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment; The 54th Regiment's fierce fighting in the July 1863 battle at Fort Wagner, South Carolina, where over half the regiment's soldiers died, helped calm fears among whites that African American soldiers would not be willing to fight in battle

African Americans in the Antebellum Period

African Americans were considered valuable property in the South in the antebellum period; The slavery system depended on the assumption that the white man was naturally superior to the black man

Progression Via The Civil War

As the Civil War progressed, the lives of African Americans throughout the country began to change; African Americans in the North were heavily involved in the abolitionist movement in the years leading up to the war, and their role changed as the war went on; African American abolitionists served as speakers, political activists, and recruiters for the military; As more slaves were emancipated, African Americans in the abolitionist movement helped to organize aid and jobs for the new freedmen

Contraband and Confiscation

As the Union army began to take territory in the South, questions quickly arose about what to do with confiscated Confederate property, including slaves; ------ Contraband: Some commanders viewed slaves who escaped behind Union lines as contraband, and put them to work in army camps; Others felt that the slaves should be returned to their owners

Value of Slave Labor Grows

As the war progressed and the North suffered defeats in battle, the value of slave labor to the Confederate army became clear; With such a workforce, the Confederacy could not only field more soldiers but could also put slaves to work supporting the war effort in many other ways; It would clearly be to the Union's military advantage to take slaves away from the Confederacy

1829 David Walker's Appeal

Born free in North Carolina, David Walker witnessed the horrors of slavery before moving north; In 1829, Walker wrote Appeal, which spoke against colonization and called for violence if African American cries for an end to slavery and discrimination weren't heard; Walker used his clothing business in Boston to smuggle his pamphlets into the South by sewing them into the lining of clothes and sending them with sympathetic sailors; His words enflamed Southern slave owners, and most white abolitionists disagreed with his call for violence

Increasing Views

Despite the prejudice and inequality that African American soldiers faced, their conduct in the war helped some white soldiers view them more respectfully; Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a white officer who commanded the all-black First South Carolina Volunteers, wrote of the African Americans he fought with: "Till the blacks were armed, there was no guarantee of their freedom. It was their demeanor under arms that shamed the nation into recognizing them as men."

circa 1818-1895 Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass was one of the most prominent African American abolitionists; In 1838, he escaped from slavery in Maryland to go north; There, he became the first runaway slave to speak for the abolitionists; Douglass wrote a narrative of his life that was widely circulated internationally and helped bring attention to the plight of slaves in the South; In 1847, he began publishing the newspaper North Star; Early on, he worked closely with Garrison, but over time they split over issues of politics and violent action, dividing the abolitionist movement

2nd Confiscation Act

In 1862, the second Confiscation Act was passed, and its provisions for slaves were much stronger than in the first act; declared that all property of anyone in rebellion could be seized; differed greatly from the first act, which had only authorized the seizure of property that was directly used in aiding the war effort; declared that any Confederate slaves behind Union lines would be free

Lincoln's Goal Changes

In his first inaugural address in March 1861, Abraham Lincoln said, "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."; Yet less than two years later, on September 22, 1862, Lincoln delivered his Emancipation Proclamation, in which he declared all slaves in Confederate territory free

1829 - 1835 Northern Abolitionism

Many called for slaves' emancipation and freedom from discrimination; In 1929, respected white abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison spoke out against colonization and joined the call for emancipation; In 1830, African American delegates from eight states met and condemned both slavery and discrimination in the North; In 1833, the American Anti-Slavery Society formed; By 1835, 200 similar organizations had formed; African American and white abolitionists worked to produce newspapers, children's books, and other materials to influence public opinion against slavery

1815-1830 Colonization Movement

The colonization movement sought to relocate African Americans to Africa; As the movement gathered momentum, the American Colonization Society formed in 1817; In 1822, the society bought land in West Africa to form the colony of Liberia as a place for former American slaves to settle; Many white abolitionists favored the colonization movement, but it was not supported by most African Americans; By the end of 1830, only about 1,400 African Americans—most free blacks rather than rescued slaves—had relocated to Liberia

Breaking "Traditions"

The war challenged the traditional roles of African Americans and provided new opportunities for African Americans to change the way whites thought about them; The Confiscation Act and the Emancipation Proclamation opened the door for freedom from slavery for African Americans in the South; The Emancipation Proclamation also paved the way for African Americans from all parts of the country to play a larger role in the military; in turn led to changes in attitudes among both whites and African Americans

Abolitionist Discrimination

Though African Americans were very active in the abolitionist movement, they faced discrimination even within the movement itself; Many white abolitionists called for legal equality for African Americans, but did not endorse social equality; African American abolitionists, on the other hand, advocated for social rights and equality and an end to segregation

Discrimination in War

Until June 1864, African American soldiers earned significantly less than white soldiers; While white soldiers earned $13 a month, plus a clothing allowance, black soldiers earned only $10 a month, from which the cost of their clothing was deducted; ---- Backlash: The 54th Massachusetts Regiment refused payment at all for a year rather than accept unequal pay; the Union addressed issues of safety and equal pay in their recruitment efforts among African Americans toward the end of the war; --------

Valiant Efforts

Despite the valor shown by African American soldiers—16 African Americans were awarded the Medal of Honor by the end of the war—they were not used extensively in direct combat because of racism; Instead they served in labor detachments and other noncombat positions; The mortality rate for African American soldiers was higher than that of white soldiers, and most died of disease rather than combat wounds; African American soldiers also faced execution or re-enslavement if they were captured by Confederate soldiers; In 1864, after a Confederate victory at Fort Pillow, Tennessee, Confederate troops massacred many African American soldiers who had surrendered; prompted Lincoln to issue General Order 233, threatening reprisal on Confederate prisoners of war if African American prisoners of war were harmed

The Emancipation Proclamation

For Lincoln, who had long opposed slavery personally, it was finally time to act; On September 22, 1862, following a Union victory at the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation; declared all slaves in areas in active rebellion against the Union to be free on January 1, 1863; did not apply to slaves in the border states that were still part of the Union, nor to those in Southern areas that were currently under Union military control; The London Times wrote of Lincoln's Proclamation: "Where he has no power Mr. Lincoln will set the Negroes free, where he retains power he will consider them as slaves."

Segregation Laws

In the North, some laws kept African Americans segregated from many parts of society; These laws varied from state to state, and the laws grew more prevalent as more free African Americans moved north; ---- Blocked From Entry: In some places, African Americans were not allowed in places such as concert halls and restaurants or on public transportation; ---- Curfews Many places enforced curfews for African Americans; ---- Professions: African Americans who worked at skilled professions found it difficult to do so in many parts of the North, where licensing for these professions discriminated against them; In 1838, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society reported that one-fourth of skilled black artisans in the state were not able to practice their professions because of licensing restrictions ---- Courts: African Americans were also denied the right to be heard in court, which left them open to violence and abuse without recourse for justice

Racism in the West

In the Western states, where the issue of slavery became a focal point for sectional conflict between the North and South, racism was strong; -------- Northwest: Many northwestern states, including those that did not allow slavery, had laws that made it extremely difficult for free African Americans to live in the state; Many northwestern states limited African Americans' access to public schools and other services; * Indiana banned free African Americans from living there altogether; * In Ohio, free African Americans had to sign a $500 surety bond guaranteeing their good behavior and carry a certificate proving that they were free; White employers could be fined for hiring African American workers without the document; * Because of these exclusionist laws, African Americans made up less than 1 percent of the population in the northwest in the antebellum period

Early 1880s Abolition in the Early 1800s

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, significant steps were taken against slavery in America; By 1804, slavery had been outlawed in the Old Northwest; Nine northeastern states had emancipation plans; In 1808, the African slave trade was banned by the United States and Britain; Abolition societies began to spread throughout the South; However, the increase in cotton farming in the Deep South in the early 1830s led to a greater reliance on the system of slavery in the South and a move away from abolitionism there

Crowded Camps

In the wake of the second Confiscation Act, the flood of fugitive slaves to the Union lines grew; The Union was not prepared for the influx, and thousands ended up in crowded camps with insufficient supplies; Northerners of both races organized to provide assistance; They also organized schools, teaching thousands of newly freed slaves to read and write

Lawed Prejudice

Laws also discriminated against them and prevented their full integration into Northern society; ----- Voting Rights: In the early part of the 1800s, property ownership was dropped as a voting requirement in most states, enabling more white men than ever to vote and fostering new political power among the "common man." This enfranchisement did not, in most cases, extend to African Americans, even those who were free; By the start of the Civil War, only Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire continued to allow African Americans to vote ---- Rights: throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, as the issue of slavery grew more divisive and moved to the forefront of political debate, the rights of African Americans throughout most of the country actually decreased; In 1800, free African Americans enjoyed the basic rights of citizenship, including the right to vote in many states, all of which eroded over time; In 1857, the Supreme Court formally declared in its Dred Scott decision that African Americans could not be citizens of the United States

Racism in Antebellum

Slavery flourished in the South during the antebellum period, bringing with it inherent racism; ----- Southern Economy: The economic system of the South was built on slavery, and slavery was built on the assumption that blacks were inferior to whites; ----- The North: Although most Northern states had emancipation laws in place during the antebellum period, many of these laws only provided for gradual emancipation; Slavery did exist in some areas of the North during this period, though in much smaller degree than in the South; While most African Americans in the North in the years before the Civil War were free, they still faced serious racism; This racism in the North was exacerbated by events in the first half of the nineteenth century and included both legal and social discrimination

1840 Split in the Movement

The American Anti-Slavery Society was the largest voice among abolitionists; Disagreements, however, built up within the group, causing a split; Some, like Garrison, felt that the US Constitution was inherently a slave document and that abolitionists should refuse to perpetuate the system it upheld; believed that refusing to take part in the political process was a powerful form of protest; Others, like Douglass, believed that change could best be made from within the system; This group formed the Liberty Party, which would become part of Lincoln's Republican Party

Civil War Changes

The Civil War wrought many changes in the United States. One major change, the fall of the slavery system in the South, began during the war itself; As the war progressed, the role of African Americans in the military evolved, raising issues of equality between free African Americans and whites

African Americans in the Military

War Start: At the start of the Civil War, many African Americans in the North sought to join the Union army; However, concerns that white soldiers wouldn't fight alongside African Americans and fears that arming African Americans would alienate the border slave states that had remained in the Union led officials to reject African American soldiers at first; -------- War Progresses: the role of African Americans in the military increased; Contraband fugitive slaves escaping behind Union lines were put to work in the military camps; After the Confiscation Acts passed, a few African American regiments were formed by Union generals; ------- Post Emancipation: recruitment of African American soldiers did not begin in earnest until after the Emancipation Proclamation, which officially invited African Americans to join the military and gave them a cause to fight for; Every slave on Confederate land that the Union took would be "thenceforward and forever free."; ---------- Joining the Effort: African American recruiters, among them abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, urged former slaves and free Northern blacks alike to join the war effort; By the end of the war, one-tenth of all soldiers who had fought for the Union were African American; Of these 186,000 African Americans soldiers, half were from the Confederate states; Almost 40,000 African American soldiers died during the war

1850-1860 Effect of the Fugitive Slave Law on the Abolitionist Movement

When the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, it profoundly affected the abolitionist movement; The act granted Southern slave catchers unprecedented rights to hunt and reclaim runaway slaves on Northern soil; They could return suspected runaways to the South without a trial; The act worried free African Americans in the North; Some abolitionists began organizing for colonization again, and thousands of African Americans living in the North moved into Canada; The act helped the abolitionist movement by forcing the slavery issue on those in the North

Emancipation Proclamation Effects

While Lincoln's Proclamation did not actually free slaves currently in Union-controlled territory, it was nonetheless a pivotal point in the war, and Lincoln's use of the presidential proclamation was a clever political move; Lincoln was able to maintain control over the terms and the tone and to prevent radicals in Congress from passing emancipation legislation that might not take the concerns of Northern laborers and border states into account; Delivering emancipation through a proclamation from the commander-in-chief, rather than as a law passed by Congress, also allowed Lincoln to stress its military importance; Lincoln was able to make a large gesture that refocused the war, boosted Northern moral, and caught the attention of foreign powers without causing disunion; ------- Effect on Slaves: The proclamation did have an effect on slaves, though that effect was not immediate; The proclamation boosted morale among African Americans in the North and the South and reinvigorated their support for the war; Frederick Douglass said of the proclamation, "We fought the rebellion, but not its cause. And now, on this day of January 1, 1863, the formal and solemn announcement was made that thereafter the government would be found on the side of emancipation. This proclamation changed everything."; When the proclamation reached Southern slaves, they flocked behind Union lines in increasing numbers, not only reaching freedom but also removing valuable sources of labor from the Southern war machine; The proclamation also had an effect on slavery in the border states; By the end of the war, Maryland and Missouri had outlawed slavery

Leading to the Emancipation Proclamation

With the idea of emancipation as a military advantage growing in the North, pressure began to mount for Lincoln to declare slaves free; In the wake of war losses, sentiment was also growing in the North for a complete defeat of the South, including their economic system of slavery; Many Union soldiers, seeing the number of slaves escaping behind Union lines, began to view slavery in a harsher light; In addition, there were signs that France and England, with strong economic ties to the South's cotton plantations, might declare support for the Confederacy; Changing the focus of the war to antislavery would make it much less likely that the European countries would show support for the Confederacy

Immigrants and African Americans

during this period, immigrants from European countries began to flood into the North, many of them poor and escaping repression or harsh conditions in their native countries; immigrants found that in America, although they might be a lower class than other whites, they were still superior to African Americans and had rights and privileges that the African Americans did not; Therefore, it was to the social advantage of Northern immigrants to help maintain the prejudices and racism that had roots in the slavery system; ----- Jobs: In addition, many immigrants in the North worked as laborers and feared that emancipation of slaves would flood the North with former slaves competing with them for jobs; In July 1863, these fears boiled over in mob violence in New York in what became known as the Draft Riots;