The Emancipation Proclamation did bring freedom to most slaves. However it has to be determined what ‘level’ of freedom was attained. As many former slaves were now ‘officially’ freemen, yet they found themselves in the exact same economic, political and social situation that they had been in, whilst enslaved.
After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, wherever the Union army advanced into Confederate States, they would leave behind a trail of freed slaves. This was a major problem, because the former slaves effectively became refugees. Trying to forge an economically independent life was virtually impossible for most as they had no food, shelter, and clothing and because of this lack of amenities, they were very susceptible to disease. ‘They come to school with singular diligence, week after week, bare-footed and bare-limbed, with garments ragged and thin, shivering over their lessons from cold and wet, but still persistent to learn.’ Most slaves had no education......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 1192
Approximate Pages: 5 (260 words per double-spaced page) |