Thread by @JemarTisby

#OTD: On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln, went into effect. This proclamation did not, in fact, free all enslaved people, but only those in states that had seceded and that were not yet under Union control.
#EmancipationProclamation

Lincoln also seemed to address the fears of white people that recently freed Black people would seek violent retribution. He urged freed people to "abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence."

Also, in what seems to be a nod to the pernicious assumption that emancipated Black people would not work without coercion, Lincoln admonished freed people to "labor faithfully for reasonable wages."

In addition, the proclamation authorized freed Black people to join the Union Army. Around 200,000 Black people fought to secure their freedom during the war. Black people swelled the ranks of the Union and played a pivotal role in securing military victory for the North.

Finally, Lincoln saw the Emancipation Proclamation in theological terms. It was "an act of justice" and he invoked the "gracious favor of the Almighty God."

It would take the 13th Amendment to finally abolish slavery throughout the entire United States. But that amendment included the "exception clause" which allowed people who had been convicted of a crime to be forced into labor. But that's a tale for another day...

#OTD: January 1, 1863
"What You should Know about the Emancipation Proclamation"
jemartisby.com/2020/01/01/wha…
#history #EmancipationProclamation #CivilWar