Life before and after the Emancipation Proclamation was very different in the lives of African American slaves during the time it was put into effect. Before President Abraham issued the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans were viewed as less than human, considered property, mistreated, and endured various hardships. Newly freed slaves would continue to experience such things even after the proclamation. Slaves did not have all the privileges and freedoms that whites had and that we have today. In contrast to this, it was life for them after the Emancipation Proclamation and in the final years following the Civil War. Indeed, once the war was over and the Emancipation Proclamation was established, African Americans could now live independently and lead almost normal and productive lives. But even after the Civil War, blacks continued the long and hard struggle for their freedoms and rights. In this essay I will provide a brief overview of the Civil War, what life was like for slaves before the war, the events leading up to this historical incident, the Emancipation Proclamation and its significance, the life of a slave after the Civil War , Emancipation Proclamation and what slavery means to our society today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, was fought between what was known as the Union, the North, and the Confederacy, the South. America had fought for its independence from Great Britain several years before. Now it was time for African Americans to also fight for their independence and break the yoke of slavery in which their captors held them for so long. The Union was against slavery and wanted to abolish it, while the South fought to maintain it. The Civil War originated from the concept of slavery. Southern states considered the abolition of slavery to be a violation of their rights and was unconstitutional. But the Civil War wasn't just about slavery. Other differences and disagreements between the two sides, such as politics and the secession debate, slowly fueled the tension that already existed between them. Because the South feared for their rights and felt that those rights had been violated by the government's decision to end slavery, they felt the need to fight back to protect themselves. After all, if the central government acted against the will of the South and defied the Constitution, it would soon continue to do so in the future. President Lincoln was elected around that time, and before he was even inaugurated several states had left the Union. Beginning in January 1861, seven slave states left the Union. The states included: South Carolina, which was the first to secede from the Union and form the Confederacy, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. A few months later, Arkansas, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina would also secede from the Union, bringing the total number of states that had left to eleven. War finally broke out when the two sides were unable to find a compromise or solution to their problems. The South continued its rebellion against the Union, which held the nation's central governing body. Several states had seceded from the Union and established their own system and government, dividing the country in two. The war officially began on the morning of April 12, 1861, when the South attacked Fort Sumter, an American fort in South Carolina. After having rebelled against the Union for so long, the South had now broken the camel's back and the war had finally begun . ThereThe Civil War was just another of the wars that set the stage for the changes the nation would undergo that would ultimately lead to where we are today. The life of a slave before the Civil War was much different after the war, although things were different. don't start improving immediately. Slaves were forced to work long, hard hours in the heat, were malnourished, beaten, and faced many other hardships. Some worked on large plantations, toiling in the fields, picking cotton and more, while others worked on smaller plantations. Some slaves had harsh, brutal masters, while others had masters who treated them like family. But no matter what master he had, the slave was still considered a slave, even though those with masters who weren't as harsh received better treatment than those who didn't. Slaves had no rights or say so in American politics or any other area of ​​decision making by America or their masters. Slaves were not even considered people, but property. The Founding Fathers and framers of the Constitution considered slaves to be three-fifths of a person, so African Americans were perceived and treated as inferior to whites. One of the reasons why Africans were selected from every other ethnic group was presumably for religious reasons. Perceived as pagans and barbarians in their homeland, Whites believed that slavery would “save” them. It would also be easy to kidnap them and force them into slavery knowing that they had no support system nor anyone who would fight for them. Isolated and left to fend for themselves, several thousand Africans were forced to board slave ships that would take them to their new home where they would work as slaves. The idea of ​​slavery seemed at the time to be the best choice for the growing American economy and was more convenient than having indentured servants. Indentured servants often worked four to seven years and were paid in the form of a place to live and other basic necessities. Indentured servants could also gain freedom after their period of servitude expired. Since slaves could not demand any form of payment as indentured servants could, slavery was chosen as the best option, with Africans as the primary target. The events leading to the civil war unfolded slowly but continuously. In What Caused the Civil War? Reflections on the South and Southern History, Edward L. Ayers discusses how Americans today describe the Civil War and its causes. It goes on to address questions about how modern Americans view the Civil War. As for the cause of the Civil War, he concedes that the short answer is, indeed, slavery. However, he warns that it took the interaction of many other factors to turn the tension over slavery into a major civil war. Rather, slavery was “the key catalytic agent in a volatile new mix of democratic politics and accelerated communication, a chemical process in its complexity and subtlety” (142). These two words, “complexity” and “subtlety,” are key terms in Ayers's understanding of both the Civil War and all of Southern history, and he repeatedly cautions the reader against settling for “simple explanations for complex problems” ( 143). .1 While slavery may have been the primary cause of the war, it was not the only cause. While there are various debates as to what specifically caused this major event in history, slavery was only one of many factors that caused the war. The inability of slave states to find common ground or compromise withfree states caused conflict between the two groups. This divided what was supposedly the United States and before long the tensions that had been building for so long between the North and the South had finally escalated into a major blowout between America and the United States. This outbreak would last four years. The Emancipation Proclamation was established on January 1, 1863 by President Lincoln. President Lincoln decided by the fall of 1862 to take action against slavery. At that point, the political risks of inaction equaled or exceeded those of appearing reckless and desperate and allowed the president to act on his antislavery principles. On September 22, 1862, he warned the Confederates that if they did not end their rebellion, he would move against slavery on January 1, 1863, and with the beginning of the new year he kept his promise, declaring that "all persons held as slaves" in the rebel zones “are, and from now on will be, free”; he added that “such persons of suitable condition will be received into the armed service of the United States.2 This statement implies that President Lincoln used the concept of ending slavery as a way to get the attention of the South and end their rebellion. Therefore, this also implies that the Civil War was not just about slavery, but also about the subjugation of the Confederacy who had rebelled against the United States and started their own agenda. During that time, in every law that addressed slaves and slavery. Congress moved toward freeing slaves and limiting slavery. Congress also indicated a desire to emancipate various groups of slaves as a war policy. who were engaged in war against the United States or were disloyal to the United States under its authority.3 During the time of the Emancipation Proclamation, the nation was now in its third year of Southern involvement in the Civil War. The Emancipation itself was a source and symbol of freedom for the African slaves. They had a long way to go before they could live a normal life in the land from which they were now free. Although the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the South, freeing slaves was not President Lincoln's original plan and intent in establishing the Proclamation. Knowing that he had to maintain the loyalty of the slave-holding border states, President Lincoln declared that his primary intention was to save the Union, not free the slaves. In this case, Lincoln's initial concern was to preserve the Union which was now divided in two. from the issue of slavery. Only by resolving the issue would the country be recomposed. “…the Proclamation had a powerful symbolic effect. It broadened the basis of the war and transformed it into a struggle for freedom and unity. It gave the Northern cause the weight of a moral crusade.5 Thus the Emancipation Proclamation allowed newly freed slaves to enjoy freedoms they could not have before being freed, while it did not provide them with the privileges or rights that white citizens had. The Reconstruction Era began in 1865, following the Civil War, and lasted until 1877. The Reconstruction Era marked a turning point in history in the lives of newly freed slaves. Furthermore, it was only the beginning of the long journey of African Americans towards freedom and independence, since after the Civil War they had not yet been treated equally and equally with whites. Clearly a racist image of Reconstruction as a failure, ignoring the achievements of the era, combined with Jim Crow laws, the violence that accompanied them, lynching and convict leasing, all contributed to the humiliation and terror of African Americans… 6 This statement implies that even after the Civil War, African Americansthey were still mistreated and persecuted. Because, although they were freed, they would pay a high price for their freedom to the angry and enraged South that resisted any form of reconstruction. The postemancipation period had brought freedom and a new way of life to the lives of former slaves, but it also brought with it hardship, persecution, and oppression. But the purpose of Radical Reconstruction was to provide equality for African Americans. This goal was not immediately achieved in the years following the Civil War. The Radical Republicans sincerely wanted to help the former slaves, but they made two serious mistakes. They assumed that giving Southern blacks the vote would allow them to protect themselves politically. Second, the Radical Republicans, while willing to give up millions of acres of land to railroad companies, were unwilling to give land to freed slaves so they could become economically independent.7 This statement in itself speaks to how the blacks were unable to become fully independent. independent although they were free and able to do and go wherever they wished. They would continue the long, hard struggle before their hopes and dreams came true. Although they were finally free, African Americans would still suffer from what the war left behind. The defeat of the Confederacy brought freedom, but also uncertainty. Without education and work, the liberated people faced persistent poverty.8 Many lost their lives, faced many hardships, and were mistreated during that struggle. Yet, they all resisted and fought bravely. It was individuals like these who left the greatest mark on history and are heroes to this day. The Reconstruction Era, the aftermath of America's war from within, was the second time period in which America underwent restructuring, the first being the Revolution. America would continue this process of restructuring even after the Reconstruction Era ended. Even though the war was over, it had left a messy mark, which would take time to clean up. Many lives were lost on both sides during the bloody and gruesome war. Cities and towns lay desolate and in ruins, with bodies strewn everywhere. The North had won the war, but had paid a high price. Yet the South was now defeated, so they finally gave up and surrendered. Lincoln later pardoned the South and the nation was once again unified. The end of the Civil War may have ended the death and devastation of the battlefield, but it opened a Pandora's box of social and economic problems. The scale of the disorder and suffering was tremendous: abandoned lands, lack of food and clothing, many thousands of displaced people, successive crop failures, and the transition from slavery to free labor by millions of blacks.9 With the Civil Ended war, new social and economic problems had arisen for America. One of the most important periods in America's growth and reconstruction, the Reconstruction Era helped shape America and its future. But while the Reconstruction era opened a new problem area in the developing nation, it also brought new opportunities and means for African Americans to support themselves and start a new life. It was during this time that the Freedmen's Bureau was established, to help both blacks and whites struggling to survive. The office fed the hungry, provided medical care, housing, and more to those in need, both poor blacks and whites. During the Reconstruction era, the concept of education was also open to African Americans, which it had been before then?