African Americans and the Emancipation Proclamation

APUSH Notes — African Americans Before and During the Civil War

I. Racism in Antebellum America

South

  • Slavery central to Southern economy and society.

  • Racism justified slavery through belief in white superiority.

  • Enslaved African Americans treated as property.

North

  • Slavery largely abolished, but racism widespread.

  • Free African Americans faced legal and social discrimination.

  • Voting rights steadily stripped away during early 1800s.

  • By 1861, only Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire allowed Black voting.

  • Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): ruled African Americans could not be U.S. citizens.

  • Segregation in transportation, schools, public venues.

  • Job discrimination via licensing laws.

  • African Americans often barred from testifying in court.

African Americans and White Immigrants

  • European immigrants (esp. Irish Catholics) accepted racial hierarchy to gain social advantage.

  • Feared job competition from freed slaves.

  • New York City Draft Riots (1863):

    • Triggered by Conscription Act.

    • Irish laborers attacked African Americans.

    • Over 120 killed.

West

  • Strong exclusion laws despite “free” status.

  • Indiana banned free African Americans.

  • Ohio required $500 bond + freedom papers.

  • Restricted schooling and employment.

  • African Americans <1% of population in Northwest.

II. Abolitionism

Early 1800s

  • Slavery outlawed in Old Northwest by 1804.

  • Slave trade banned in 1808.

  • Abolition societies expanded, then declined in South due to cotton boom.

Colonization Movement

  • American Colonization Society (1817) promoted resettlement to Africa.

  • Liberia founded (1822).

  • Supported by many whites, rejected by most African Americans.

  • Only ~1,400 relocated by 1830.

Key Figures

  • Paul Cuffe: early Black colonization supporter; funded migration to Sierra Leone.

  • David Walker: Appeal (1829) rejected colonization; called for resistance, even violence.

  • William Lloyd Garrison: opposed colonization; demanded immediate emancipation.

  • Frederick Douglass: escaped slavery; powerful speaker and writer; founded North Star.

  • Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, William Wells Brown: major Black abolitionist leaders.

Abolitionist Movement Split

  • Garrisonians:

    • Constitution = pro-slavery.

    • Rejected politics and voting.

  • Political abolitionists:

    • Used political system to fight slavery.

    • Formed Liberty Party → later Republican Party.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

  • Allowed slave catchers to operate in North.

  • No trials for accused runaways.

  • Caused fear among free African Americans.

  • Many fled to Canada.

  • Forced Northerners to confront slavery directly.

Racism Within Abolitionism

  • White abolitionists often limited Black voices to personal narratives.

  • Black abolitionists demanded full equality and leadership.

  • Tension over strategy, doctrine, and respect.

III. Civil War Changes

Lincoln’s Shift

  • 1861: Abraham Lincoln prioritized Union over abolition.

  • Pressured by:

    • Military setbacks.

    • Need to weaken Confederacy.

    • Foreign diplomacy concerns (Britain, France).

Contraband & Confiscation Acts

  • Escaped slaves labeled “contraband.”

  • First Confiscation Act (1861): freed slaves used in Confederate war effort.

  • Second Confiscation Act (1862):

    • Freed all slaves of rebels behind Union lines.

    • Accelerated slave escapes.

  • Led to overcrowded camps; Northern aid and schools formed.

IV. Emancipation Proclamation

  • Issued Sept. 22, 1862; effective Jan. 1, 1863.

  • Freed slaves only in Confederate-held territory.

  • Did not apply to border states or Union-occupied areas.

  • Justified as military necessity, not moral reform.

  • Shifted war aim to antislavery.

  • Prevented European recognition of Confederacy.

  • Boosted African American morale and Union support.

V. African Americans in the Military

Early War

  • Initially barred from enlistment.

  • Used as laborers in camps.

After Emancipation

  • Enlistment officially encouraged.

  • Douglass, Tubman recruited soldiers.

  • ~186,000 African Americans served (10% of Union army).

  • ~40,000 died.

Conditions

  • Segregated units under white officers.

  • Unequal pay:

    • Whites: $13/month + clothing.

    • Blacks: $10/month minus clothing.

  • 54th Massachusetts Regiment:

    • Proved combat effectiveness at Fort Wagner (1863).

    • Refused pay for a year in protest.

Risks

  • Higher death rates (mostly disease).

  • Captured soldiers often executed or re-enslaved.

  • Fort Pillow Massacre (1864).

  • Lincoln issued retaliation threat (General Order 233).

Impact

  • Military service challenged racist assumptions.

  • Helped legitimize African Americans’ claim to citizenship and freedom.

  • As Thomas Wentworth Higginson noted: arming Black soldiers forced recognition of their humanity.