African Americans and the Emancipation Proclamation

Racism

Prejudiced belief in the superiority of one race over others, used to justify slavery in the Antebellum South.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

1857 Supreme Court case that ruled African Americans could not be U.S. citizens.

New York City Draft Riots

1863 riots triggered by the Conscription Act, where Irish laborers attacked African Americans.

American Colonization Society

Founded in 1817, it promoted the resettlement of free African Americans to Africa, specifically Liberia.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Law that allowed slave catchers to operate in the North without trials for accused runaways.

Emancipation Proclamation

Issued by Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, it freed slaves in Confederate-held territories.

54th Massachusetts Regiment

An African American regiment that showcased combat effectiveness during the Civil War, notably at Fort Wagner.

Abolition Movement

A social movement aimed at ending slavery, which faced internal divisions over strategies and leadership.

Contraband

Term used during the Civil War to describe escaped slaves who were considered captured goods of war.

African American Military Enlistment

Initially barred from service, African Americans were later encouraged to enlist and about 186,000 served in the Union army.

William Lloyd Garrison

A prominent abolitionist who opposed colonization and demanded immediate emancipation.

Frederick Douglass

Formerly enslaved African American who became a powerful speaker and writer advocating for abolition.

Paul Cuffe

An early supporter of colonization, he funded and promoted migration to Sierra Leone.

Racism in the North

Though slavery was largely abolished, racism and discrimination against free African Americans persisted in the North.

Conditions for African American Soldiers

African American soldiers in the Civil War faced segregation, unequal pay, and higher risk of execution if captured.