This gallery contains 1 photo.
James Oakes’s Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865 (Norton, 2012) profoundly challenges the way most American history textbooks and classrooms have been presenting the story of Civil War emancipation. The nearly 500-page book contains a host of … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
James Rumley was a 50-year-old government clerk living in Beaufort, North Carolina when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Rumley, a single man, had owned two slaves at the outset of conflict and had spent most of the previous year … Continue reading
This gallery contains 9 photos.
Prince Rivers was born enslaved in South Carolina but became famous as a free man and soldier on January 1, 1863. You can read more about his role in celebrating Emancipation Day in Beaufort, South Carolina as color sergeant in … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
During Christmas week in 1936, a ninety-two-year-old woman from Washington, D.C. created a local incident that drew the attention of the Washington Post. The woman had walked a few miles out to the Soldiers’ Home, a federal retirement community for … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
January 1, 1863 was an important day at the former plantation of John Joyner Smith near Port Royal, South Carolina. Thousands of people, white and black, gathered to celebrate “Emancipation Day” and the resulting newspaper reports, diary accounts and recollections … Continue reading
This gallery contains 1 photo.
Orville H. Browning was an old friend of President Lincoln’s from Illinois who became a United States senator in June 1861 following the death of Stephen A. Douglas. Browning served in the Senate until January 1863. He then continued … Continue reading
This gallery contains 5 photos.
This remarkable story comes from the wartime diary of Union recruiting agent James T. Ayers, edited by John Hope Franklin (Illinois State Historical Society, 1947) and that has been featured in James Oakes’s new book, Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery … Continue reading
Prepared by Dan McNamara, New Rochelle High School, New Rochelle, NY President Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation American History and Government Name______________________________________________ Period___________________Date_____________________ Document Based Question (DBQ) Unit Project Overview and Historical Context: The purpose of this DBQ … Continue reading
This gallery contains 2 photos.
How many of these Union military figures can you identify? What was their role in the debates over emancipation policy? Click on their images to find out more.
