1862: Antietam and Emancipation

1862: Antietam and Emancipation

The Civil War Curriculum

Antietam & Emancipation

What does

“emancipation” mean?

Emancipation:

the fact or process of being set free from legal, social,

or political restrictions; liberation

Open Ended

Write a complete sentence with the word emancipation in it to demonstrate your understanding of its meaning.

Pressure Builds

By the summer of 1862:

• Lincoln is faced with increasing

pressure from abolitionists
seeking emancipation as part of
the war effort.

• The risk of foreign

involvementgrows (Great
Britain and France could
recognize and help the
Confederacy).

• Large numbers of slaves are

leaving their owners and
entering Union army camps as
refugees.

• Loss of battles leads to less

war support from US citizens.

Multiple Choice

What was NOT happening during the summer of 1862?

• Lincoln was being pressured by the abolitionists to seek emancipation

• Britain was possibly going to help the South

• Many slaves were joining the Union army

• Americans were super supportive of the war

As the war began and states seceded, President Abraham Lincoln
called for volunteers to stop the secession and save the Union.

At this point, it is clear that
something major needed to be
done to change the course of
the war.

Union Victory

On July 22, 1862, Lincoln
presents the Preliminary
Emancipation
Proclamation to his
cabinet.
Secretary of State, William
Seward suggests that a
Union victory should be
achieved before issuing the
proclamation.

“It may be viewed as the last
measure of an exhausted
government, a cry for help….
Postpone its issue, until you can
give it to the country supported by
military success, instead of issuing
it, as would be the case now, upon
the greatest disasters of the war!”

– Secretary of State, William
Seward.

Multiple Choice

What did William Seward suggest?

• That Lincoln wait to issue to Emancipation Proclamation until the Union had a victory

• That Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation ASAP so no more states would leave the Union

• That Lincoln should not issue the Emancipation Proclamation at all because then the US would not exist anymore

• That Lincoln hold off issuing the Emancipation Proclamation for as long as possible

The first reading of the
Emancipation
Proclamation before the
cabinet. Painted by F.B.
Carpenter

Antietam
September 17,

1862

The Battle of Antietam

Open Ended

What is so significant about the Battle of Antietam?

The Battle of Antietam

Result: The Confederate Army
retreats from Maryland, back into
Virginia. This allows the Union to
claim a victory.

Abraham Lincoln now has the victory
he desired to issue the
Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation

With the Emancipation
Proclamation, the war
is still about preserving
the Union and freeing
the slaves is a
necessary war measure.

Let’s look again at the issues Lincoln was

facing before the Emancipation

Proclamation…

Issue: Lincoln is faced with increasing pressure

from abolitionists seeking emancipation as part

of the war effort.

Abolitionists see the Emancipation Proclamation as a step in
the right direction for the emancipation of all slaves. They will
continue their fight for the end of slavery throughout the
entire country.

Multiple Choice

Why were the abolitionists pressuring Lincoln?

• They felt like he secretly wanted the US the fall apart.

• They wanted all slaves to be freed.

• They wanted him to be the best president ever.

• They had nothing better to do.

Issue: The risk of foreign

involvement.

By winning at Antietam, the Union

showed its ability to win in the

Eastern Theater of the Civil War.
Additionally, most Europeans did
not support slavery; therefore, now

that the war included freeing the

slaves, they decide not to get

involved.

Multiple Choice

Europeans supported slavery

• True

• False

Issue: Large numbers of slaves are leaving their

owners and entering Union army camps as

refugees.

Caring for refugees is still difficult, but before there were

questions on what to do with the refugees. With the

Emancipation Proclamation it is known to all commanders that
“the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and

maintain the freedom of said persons.”

Multiple Choice

When slaves joined the Union army, they were considered freed.

• True

• False

Issue: Loss of battles leads to less war support

from US citizens.

With the success at Antietam and Robert E. Lee’s retreat,

support for the war has increased.

United States Colored Troops

In the Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln addressed the enlistment of
African Americans in the United States
armed forces. Approximately 180,000

men -- many who had formerly been
enslaved -- volunteer to fight in the

Union army.

This will greatly help the war effort and
may be the difference between losing or

winning the war.