Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln 's Emancipation Proclamation
Susan Harrison
History 221
Professor Taylor
February 10, 2013 Until Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on 22 September 1862, the President’s enunciation of Civil War aims centered squarely upon the restoration of the Union, and purposefully omitted the inclusion of the abolition of slavery. Dismantling the institution of slavery was not his ultimate objective, and Lincoln was forced to pursue a war strategy that would not push the slaveholding border -states into the open arms of the Confederacy. General John C. Fremont, however, living up to his reputation for impulsive acts and liberal interpretations of his own authority, proclaimed the freedom of any slave confiscated under his command in Missouri. This order ran counter to Lincoln’s war strategy and threatened to deliver Kentucky and other border - states to the Confederacy. Nevertheless, although Fremont’s decision was injudicious and unconstitutional according to Lincoln, the conditions in Missouri, the strategic importance of holding that state, and the latitude given by the ministration to Fremont in his western department command, indicate that his order may have had military and political value, but that it was ill-timed. As a result, Lincoln did not censure or relieve Fremont for this particular act, but congenially asked him to amend his proclamation to avert unwanted political and military consequences. Lincoln’s belief in the utility of emancipation as a tool to defeat the South was demonstrated a year later with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. In the course of a lifetime, each person will act and react in various ways when he or she is confronted with particular circumstances and situations. While individual expressions of behavior can be misleading, partners of behavior can reveal true character and values. Fremont is no exception. Long
Susan Harrison
History 221
Professor Taylor
February 10, 2013 Until Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on 22 September 1862, the President’s enunciation of Civil War aims centered squarely upon the restoration of the Union, and purposefully omitted the inclusion of the abolition of slavery. Dismantling the institution of slavery was not his ultimate objective, and Lincoln was forced to pursue a war strategy that would not push the slaveholding border -states into the open arms of the Confederacy. General John C. Fremont, however, living up to his reputation for impulsive acts and liberal interpretations of his own authority, proclaimed the freedom of any slave confiscated under his command in Missouri. This order ran counter to Lincoln’s war strategy and threatened to deliver Kentucky and other border - states to the Confederacy. Nevertheless, although Fremont’s decision was injudicious and unconstitutional according to Lincoln, the conditions in Missouri, the strategic importance of holding that state, and the latitude given by the ministration to Fremont in his western department command, indicate that his order may have had military and political value, but that it was ill-timed. As a result, Lincoln did not censure or relieve Fremont for this particular act, but congenially asked him to amend his proclamation to avert unwanted political and military consequences. Lincoln’s belief in the utility of emancipation as a tool to defeat the South was demonstrated a year later with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. In the course of a lifetime, each person will act and react in various ways when he or she is confronted with particular circumstances and situations. While individual expressions of behavior can be misleading, partners of behavior can reveal true character and values. Fremont is no exception. Long
Bibliography: Anastaplo, George. Abraham Lincoln: A Constitutional Biography. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999. Chaffin, Tom. Pathfinder: John Charles Fremont and the Course of American Empire. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, 2002. Fremont, John C. Memoirs of My Life: John Charles Fremont, Explorer of the American West. New York, NY: Cooper Square Press, 2001. Goetzmann Wiliam H. Army Exploration in the American West, 1803 -1863. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959. Herr, Pamela and Mary Lee Spence, eds. The Letters of Jessie Benton Fremont. Chicago, IL: University of Ilinois Press, 1993. Scot, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series I, Vol. III. Washington, DC: GPO, 1880 -1901. Scot, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series II , Vol. I. Washington, DC: GPO, 1880 -1901. Simpson, Brooks D. Think Anew, Act Anew: Abraham Lincoln on Slavery, Freedom, and the Union. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1998. Snead, Thomas Lowndes, Memoir of Thomas Lowndes Snead, in The Century War Se ries,Vol. I, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War . New York, NY: Century Co., 1887. ----------------------- [1] Tom Chaffin, Pathfinder: John Charles Fremont and the Course of American Empire (New York, NY: Hill and Wang, 2002), 345. [2] Role, Andrew. John Charles Fremont: Character as Destiny (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991), 49-51. [5] Jessie Benton Fremont to J. Torrey, Mar. 2 1, 1847, in Wiliam H. Goetzmann, Army Exploration in the American West, 1803 -1863 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), 122. [11] L. Thomas to the War Department, 3 July 1861, in Robert N. Scot, The War of the Rebelion: a compilation o f the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. III, (Washington, DC: GPO, 1880 -1901), 390. 19 John C. Fremont to Montgomery Blair, 9 Aug. 1861, in Scot, I, III, 431. [20] Proclamation of John C. Fremont, 30 Aug. 1861, in Scot, I, III, 466. [22] A. Lincoln to Major -General Fremont , 2 Sept. 1861, in Scott, I, III, 469. [23] The Lincoln Interview: Excerpt from “Great Events,” in Pamela Herr and Mary Lee Spence, eds., The Leters of Jessie Benton Fremont , (Chicago, IL: University of Ilinois Press, 1993), 265 -6. [24] J.C. Fremont to the President, 8 Sept. 1861, in Scot, I, III, 477. [25] Abraham Lincoln to Orvile H. Browning, 22 Sept. 1863, in Brooks D. Simpson, Think Anew, Act Anew: Abraham Lincoln on Slavery, Freedom, and the Union , (Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1998), 103. [29] J.C. Fremont to the President, 8 Sept. 1861, in Scot, I, III, 477. [30] Abraham Lincoln to Orvile H. Browning, 22 Sept. 1863, in Simpson, 103. [31] Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, 22 Sept. 1862, in Simpso n, 129. [32] Abraham Lincoln to James C. Conkling, 26 Aug. 1863, in Mary Maclean, Leters and Addresses of Abraham Lincoln, (New York, NY: Unit Book Pub. Co., 1907), 286. [34] Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, 22 Sept. 1862, in Simpson, 129. [35] This line of argument is based upon an idea expressed in George Anastaplo, Abraham Lincoln: A Constitutional Biography , (New York, NY: Rowman & Litlefield Publishe rs, Inc., 1999), 210. [36] Wiliam K. Klingamen, Abraham Lincoln and the Road to Emancipation, 1861 -865, (New York, NY: Viking, 2001), 191.