Emancipation and Refugees

self-emancipation continued and grew
abolitionists and “radical” Republicans in Congress pressured Lincoln for:
- emancipation as a war measure
- African American enlistment
northern opinions on emancipation shifted as the war intensified
- White Union troops especially
- saw slavery as the cause of the rebellion
- argued that destroying slavery was the only way to permanently save the Union
- during war’s final years, a way to make their suffering mean something
- civilians too, but many stayed opposed
Congress also moved emancipation policy forward:
first confiscation act, august 1861
- authorized US government to seize private property in rebel states used to promote rebellion (including slaves)
- left status of “contrabands” unclear
second confiscation act, July 1862
- expanded and clarified
- freed enslaved people belonging to anyone aiding the rebellion

300 “contraband camps” in total
many different arrangements:
- some spontaneous, some planned
- camps or barracks alongside the US Army
- confiscated plantations leased out by the federal governemtn
- some land redistribution and agrarian colonies
refugees found only limited safety/security
- Union forces moved frequently, refugees weren’t the main priority
- private humanitarian aid insufficient
- shifting opportunities for work and support
- poor treatment conditions
- epidemic diseases
- abuse by soldiers and civilians on both sides
an “embattled freedom” for refugees
- federal policy developed slowly and unevenly
- refugees pushed for government support and protection (not always successful)
- for most, emancipation was a process, not a single event or moment