Why was the Emancipation Proclamation so important?
1 Answer
The Emancipation Proclamation changed the focus of the Civil War from being primarily about preserving the union to the abolition of slavery
Explanation:
The Confederate States had attempted to define the Civil War as a second American Revolution. The south wanted the world to think that the revolution was about States rights being abused by a tyrannical central federal government. This justified the effort to form an new independent nation.
The South had some justification for the claims of abuse. The Tariffs passed by the central government were abusive to the south. The import duties on goods sent from Europe were very high in an effort to force the southern states to purchase goods from the Northern states. This was all to the benefit of the central government and the northern states and very harmful to the southern states.
The Emancipation Proclamation made it clear that the Civil war was about ending the economic system of slavery that was foundational to the southern economy. European nations like England that were sympathetic to the South desire for freedom were violently opposed to slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation made it politically impossible for England or France to help the South even though because of cotton an independent Southern Nation was to their economic benefit.
Emancipation Proclamation had little immediate effect on the plight of slaves. However it did allow the former slaves in areas liberated from the south to take up arms for the north. It's main effect was to redefine the purposes of the Civil War and to prevent European intervention to help the south.
