Week SIx Assignments (HIST150) (1)
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School
Bellevue College *
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Course
150
Subject
History
Date
Nov 24, 2024
Type
Pages
2
Uploaded by CommodoreDugong812
Question | Discuss the process of freedom, beginning with self-emancipation. How did
African Americans become free over time, and free themselves, over the course of the
Civil War?
Self-Emancipation is referring to the act of an enslaved person freeing him or herself
from the bondage of slavery. Determined to end slavery, tens of thousands of enslaved
African Americans used the war to escape the bondage of slavery. As the Union Army
drove into the Confederacy, enslaved people stole away and entered Union lines. These
thousands of African Americans made their freedom a fact. By coming into Union lines,
withdrawing their labor from Confederate owners, working for the Union army, and
fighting as the soldiers in it, slaves did very much so, play an active part in achieving
their own freedom and, for that matter, in preserving the Union itself. There were in fact
multiple ways that African Americans became free over time, for example, The
Emancipation Proclamation, and The Underground Railroad.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a proclamation created by President Abe. Lincoln.
Incurring that any corporation, business, individual, or anyone of any nature in control of
a slave, was ordered to emancipate them, and send them to the army to fight for
America. This Proclamation almost immediately freed 25-75 thousand enslaved
individuals, although it nearly applied to 3.5 million. The Emancipation Proclamation
confirmed their ideas that the war for the Union must become a war for freedom, not
rebellion. The proclamation as well added moral force to the Union cause and
strengthened the Union both militarily and politically.
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes under the ground and
safe houses established in America during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by
enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into the free states of Canada, and
Mexico.“African Americans also resisted slavery through rebellions and other forms of
resistance, such as the Underground Railroad”, (The Raid on Harpers Ferry). The
railroads did in fact have a profound impact on the process and systems of freedom for
African Americans, as they gave them the means to escape from slavery and pursue
their own freedom. It also served as a major symbol of resistance against slavery, which
was inspiring others to resist and fight for their freedom, which turned into a huge
widespread trend amongst slaves. By providing a way for African Americans to escape
slavery and start a new life, the Underground Railroad played a critical role in the
broader movement for freedom and equality it was the movement that started all
movements you could say.
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