During the Civil War, Republicans in the 37th Congress managed to navigate two major pieces of legislation through Capitol Hill that helped free certain types of Confederate slaves. These “confiscation” acts have since become mostly forgotten, however, because their impact … Continue reading
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The story of how runaway slaves helped launch the movement toward wartime emancipation in spring 1861 is becoming better known, yet it remains one that is typically not featured in history textbooks or classrooms. However, students and teachers can find … Continue reading
The National Archives offers unique online access to the original five-page handwritten version of the Emancipation Proclamation along with several helpful tools well-designed for classroom use. However, a transcript of the document can be found below with study questions interjected … Continue reading
The following men were key figures in the development of congressional confiscation policy, which emerged during the 37th Congress (1861-63) as the initial way that Republicans on Capitol Hill had hoped to emancipate slaves. The First Confiscation Act (August 6, … Continue reading
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In September 1841, Abraham Lincoln encountered a group of chained slaves (called a “coffle”) from Kentucky being taken down the Ohio River on a steamboat –victims of the domestic slave trade. The sight affected Lincoln deeply, although he described its … Continue reading
Abraham Lincoln hated slavery, but he always appeared to proceed cautiously about emancipation. Why? There are many possible answers to this profound question and all good students need to figure out for themselves what they believe best explains the evolution … Continue reading
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Slavery made a significant impact at the 1787 Constitution Convention. Most of the Framers believed that they had other more pressing worries than the fate of that increasingly sectional institution, but they knew full well that a national debate over … Continue reading
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Figure 1 Nast’s Emancipation Evolution The print above is based on an illustration by Thomas Nast. Click on the image to find out how the print-makers altered Nast’s original drawing following Lincoln’s death in 1865. Figure 2 … Continue reading
Here are copies of the handouts distributed by Matthew Pinsker at the Gilder Lehrman Institute “Lincoln and Emancipation” seminar at NYU, July 10-16, 2011: Monday, July 11 Constitution and Slavery Gettysburg Address (Hay Copy) Second Birth of Freedom Tuesday, July … Continue reading
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Charles Nordhoff (18301901) produced a nineteenth-century civics textbook entitled, Politics for Young Americans (Harper & Brothers, 1875) that included a revealing description of abolitionists in a section about the proper roles of minorities and majorities in American political culture (“Of … Continue reading
