January 1, 1863

By the President of the United States of America:

A Proclamation.

Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:

“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

“That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States.”

Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:

Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.

And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.

By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN

WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

Recognize & Maintain Freedom

As we’ve mentioned before, the Emancipation Proclamation did not abolish slavery in the United States, but it set an incredibly important precedent. With Southern states still in rebellion, the promise of freedom applied to all slaves within Confederate territory yet to be captured by Union troops. The proclamation announced that Federal troops would recognize and maintain (protect) freedom of slaves within the Confederacy (not within the still loyal Union states that had slavery).

In “real life” the recognition and maintenance of freedom was rarely a rosy picture. Life for escaped slaves and newly freedmen was hard, and the “liberating” troops often had their own racist viewpoints. However, with the Emancipation Proclamation signed and in place, slaves could not legally be sent back to their masters. A new life and opportunity was finally opened.

Armed Service

Significantly, the Emancipation Proclamation laid precedent for freedmen and former slaves to serve in the U.S. military. Advocates and abolitionists had been petitioning for this right to serve almost since the beginning of the war, and now the opportunity was available. In 1863, African American units were formed and sent into the regions of war.

Historical Musings

Some people argue that the Emancipation Proclamation accomplished nothing. While it is true that its powers were limited, it did not abolish slavery, and it depended on continued Union victories for its success, the precedence set by the proclamations should not be overlooked. The president had followed through on a promise, laid the political groundwork that would lead to the 13th Amendment, and announced the military’s policy in 1863 for recognizing freedom and military service opportunities.

And – in my opinion – the significance of the moment stands, though its limited immediate effects must be understood.

Your Historian,

Miss Sarah