AFRICAN AMERICAN

REACTION TO THE

EMANCIPATION

PROCLAMATION

Cat Serpe

Who: African Americans

-notable African Americans – Frederick Douglass

-free and enslaved

What: Reactions to the issuance of the

Emancipation Proclamation

When: January 1, 1863

Where: North and South

Major Points

How blacks were informed of the Proclamation

Positive view of the issuance and of Lincoln

-Celebrations in the North and the South

Negative view

Gratitude for progress

Order from Gen. Milroy

-New York

Informal slave grapevine

James Simms

-Georgia

The Government Printing

Office and Governor John

Andrew created copies to

distribute

Henry Cheatam and Mary

Estes Peters

-Mississippi and

Arkansas

Slaveholders attempted to

hide the news

Informed Uninformed

Celebrations

New York

New Jersey

Massachusetts

Illinois

Washington DC

South Carolina

Pennsylvania

Religious services

Sermons

General interchange

of sentiments

Masses

Music

Supper

Parades

Negative

DOUGLASS' MONTHLY - March, 1863

REBEL VIEW OF THE PROCLAMATION

“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with

the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. “

Jerone Bennett

Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln’s White

Dream

“…the gravest charge that one can place against him is

that he betrayed the trust of four million slaves who, not

having reliable information, believed Lincoln was their

friend because their enemies said Lincoln was their

Frederick Douglass

Admitted some disappointment in the

Proclamation

Tremont Temple hosted a meeting for many

great black abolitionists

“thanked God that he was alive to see the end of slavery.”

Gratitude for progress

THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER - January 3, 1863

THE PRESIDENT'S PROCLAMATION

DOUGLASS' MONTHLY - February, 1863

REJOICING OVER THE PROCLAMATION

DOUGLASS' MONTHLY - February, 1863

THE RESULTS OF THE PROCLAMATION.

THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER - January 30, 1864

EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION AT WILMINGTON

Discussion

What were your initial thoughts on this topic?

Were you surprised that slaves were

celebrating, even though they were aware that

they wouldn’t immediately be freed?

Picture references

Sources:

Primary: African American newspapers, slave narratives, poems

Secondary: Allen Guelzo, Lerone Bennett, and Eric Foner

http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/EmanProc.html

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/almintr.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html