The Emancipation Proclamation
While the Civil War is considered a turning point in United States history,
Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation is considered a turning point
in the war. On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued an executive order freeing slaves in
rebel states. This affected over three-quarters of the African Americans in slavery
at the time, although it took years for news of the Emancipation Proclamation to
reach enslaved people and for Union soldiers to free them. The day that the
Emancipation Proclamation was issued, and the days that followed, were turning
points for many reasons. Investigate a version of the original document that had
such a great impact on the outcome of the Civil War and on U.S. History at the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Recommended Collections:
The Kennedy-Lincoln Emancipation Proclamation
Call# Z 6625 .K46 2010
By the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation (1864)
Call # Ab-1863-3(2)
Other Sources of Information:
African American Museum in Philadelphia – 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia –
www.aampmuseum.org
Dickinson College – House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine –
Emancipation collection – http://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/36416
Library of Congress – Virtual Programs & Services – Primary Documents in
American History: Emancipation Proclamation – www.loc.gov
National Archives and Record Administration – Featured Documents –
Emancipation Proclamation – www.archives.gov
National Constitution Center - 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia –
www.constitutioncenter.org