What was the role of the Emancipation Proclamation in the formulation of Northern trategy and war goals?
These sites should be of some help with that question.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_the_American_Civil_War
http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jala/26.2/tap.html
http://www.civilwarhome.com/slavery.htm
The Emancipation Proclamation played a significant role in shaping the Northern strategy and war goals during the American Civil War. To understand its impact, let's break it down into steps:
1. Understanding the Emancipation Proclamation:
The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. It declared that all enslaved people in Confederate territory were to be considered free. However, it did not free slaves in the border states that remained loyal to the Union.
2. The Northern Strategy:
Before the Emancipation Proclamation, the primary goal of the Northern strategy was to preserve the Union by suppressing the rebellion rather than targeting the institution of slavery directly. The focus was on defeating the Confederate Army and gaining control of important Confederate territories.
3. The Impact of the Emancipation Proclamation:
With the proclamation, the Northern strategy shifted to include the liberation of slaves as a military objective. The Emancipation Proclamation served multiple purposes:
a. Weakening the Confederacy: The proclamation aimed to undermine the Southern economy by depriving the Confederacy of its main labor force, which was comprised of enslaved people. Additionally, it encouraged enslaved people to escape from their owners and seek refuge behind Union lines. This weakened the Confederate war effort.
b. Emphasizing Moral Purpose: The proclamation gave the war a moral purpose by framing it as a fight against slavery and for human freedom. This helped to bolster support for the Union cause, both domestically and internationally.
c. Preventing European Intervention: The Emancipation Proclamation also aimed to prevent European powers, such as Britain and France, from supporting the Confederacy. By aligning the Union cause more closely with the anti-slavery sentiment prevalent in Europe at the time, Lincoln hoped to discourage foreign intervention.
4. Evolving War Goals:
The Emancipation Proclamation influenced the Northern war goals by expanding them beyond the preservation of the Union to include the abolition of slavery. This shift laid the groundwork for the eventual passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which permanently abolished slavery throughout the country.
In summary, the Emancipation Proclamation played a crucial role in shaping the Northern strategy and war goals during the Civil War. It weakened the Confederacy, gave the war a moral purpose, and expanded the Union's objectives to include the liberation of slaves.