“The Proclamation is the drawing of a sword that can never be sheathed again.”
This is the story of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Anti-slavery, moderate-Republican President Abraham Lincoln has never liked slavery. He wants to prevent it from expanding to new US territories. But he also never intended to go on the offensive against the “peculiar institution” within those states where it already exists. The Illinois Rail-Splitter knows the law; he’s aware that the constitution protects slavery at the state level.
Then the Civil War came. As the South breaks away from the Union, the North breaks philosphically on slavery. The abolitionists say ending slavery must be a war aim. The Democrats and border-states say this war is only about preserving the Union. Moderate Republicans and still others are mixed. Meanwhile, enslaved Americans within the Confederacy are seeking refuge in Federal army camps. How should Union Generals respond? Can they give sanctuary without upsetting the border-states that may still join the Confederacy? And do seceded states still have constitutional rights? Or does war mean the president can use his constitutional war powers to end slavery among rebelling states by proclamation? And if he does … what will that outcome be?
The questions are boundless. The answers are unknowable without taking the plunge. Your move, President Lincoln.
82: Best Mini Episodes and Cold Opens of 2020
81: Epilogue to Volume 6: Reconstruction and The Indian Wars
80: “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus:” A History
79: The Indian Wars (Part 3): Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce & Standing Bear’s Fight for Civil Rights
78: The Indian Wars (Part 2): The Battle of the Little Bighorn (the Greasy Grass)
77: The Indian Wars (Part 1): The U.S.-Dakota War
76: Reconstruction (Part 4): The Battle of Liberty Place and the Mississippi Plan
75: Reconstruction (Part 3): The Rise of the KKK and the First Black Men in Government
74: Reconstruction (Part 2): The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant
73: Reconstruction (Part 1): The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
72: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
71: Revisiting the Hamilton/Burr Duel: An Affair of Honor
70: Epilogue: The Civil War Comes to a Close
69: Surrender at Appomattox: The Last Days of the Civil War
68: Sherman's March to the Sea and the Thirteenth Amendment
67: Ending 1864: The Battles of the Crater, Mobile Bay, Centralia, and Franklin
66: The Election of 1864: Lincoln's Bid for Reelection
65: Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign & The Free State of Jones
Bonus: A New Sound for HTDS (Farewell to Josh, Hello to Lindsay Graham & Airship)
64: Grant's Overland Campaign: The Battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, & Petersburg
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra