There are many reasons why Lincoln decided to issue and implement the Emancipation Proclamation back in 1862. His main goal was to shift the war and to free the slaves. The slaves that were only affected were those in the United States and not those who were in the Confederacy (Guelzo 1). He wanted to make it more of a political agenda rather than a morally based war. During that time, Lincoln was in a difficult situation, mainly in military. The North experienced to many battles lost so the Northerners started to complain about the war. So Lincoln believed that changing to a moral focus on slavery would somehow give support to the Northerners. Aside from this, there are many European countries like England and France that considered to recognize the Confederacy formally. Lincoln believed that if he would shift the was to a moral focus on slavery, it would stop the recognition. Thirdly, Lincoln was hoping that the promise to free the slaves and give them freedom would result to revolts among the slaves in the South. This would cause them to support the Northern armies. This was what he was hoping for so he implemented the Emancipation Proclamation. Lastly, Lincoln came to the point where the thought that it was really time to free the slaves and it was the right thing to do. He knew it would be a risky move in his part since he was the one who easily pushed the border states to join the Confederate cause. This was the reason why the Emancipation Proclamation only freed the slaves who were in rebellious territory. Though the proclamation became an issue during the time, it was able to serve its purpose just like what Lincoln had hoped for. It changed the war, making it from a political issue into a moral conflict which the people believed must be fought until the end.
Works Cited:
Guelzo, Allen. 2005. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America. Simon and Schuster.
