henceforth shall this day take rank with the 4th of july. henceforth it becomes the date of a new and glorious era in the history of american liberty. now we ll see if lincoln is as good as his word. the emancipation proclamation and the militia act paved the way for lincoln to fulfill one of frederick douglass goals allowing black soldiers to fight for their own freedom. douglass himself recruits 100 men to join the new 54th massachusetts regiment, including his son, lewis. right shoulder. shift arms. the governor of massachusetts chooses robert gould shaw to lead the regiment. right face. with the emancipation proclamation lincoln makes explicit what frederick douglass already knows the civil war and the fight to end slavery are
legislation was on his desk. it is referred to as the second confiscation act. congress declared forever free all persons held as slaves by supporters of the rebellion. he now had the legislation from which to base an emancipation proclamation. do you disapprove? it is the timing that is my main concern. it would be better if we wait until the north wins a decisive military victory. the wisdom of the view of the secretary of state struck me with very great force. the result was that i put the draft of the proclamation aside, waiting for a victory. [ gunfire ] [ men whooping ] on the heels of a crushing defeat at the second battle of bull run, abraham lincoln realizes that if he issues a proclamation now, it would appear as a desperate measure of an embattled union.
the first time and going into union territory. lee has made a plan of attack and divided his force, with one element around hagerstown, maryland, and the other element around harpers ferry, in what we call west virginia today. until now, top union general george mcclellan has failed to give lincoln the victory he needs. but a lost copy of lee s entire battle plan winds up in mcclellan s hands, giving him one last shot at redemption. if i can t whip bobby lee with this paper, i ll be willing to go home. [ chuckles ] even with general lee s battle plan in his possession, mcclellan hesitates to attack the rebel army. many feel it s due to his fear of being outnumbered. there are others, like secretary of war edwin stanton who strongly believe mcclellan is a traitor. whatever the reason, lee has time to dig in, setting the stage for antietam, one of the
allow him to identify escaped slaves as contrabands of war. butler s controversial decision would eventually inspire thousands of slaves to cross union lines, creating a path for lincoln to entertain the idea of emancipation. butler s fort monroe doctrine has an immediate impact on the confederacy. when the union navy invades south carolina s sea islands plantation owners leave behind 10,000 slaves. these new contrabands begin to grow and harvest cotton and other crops for the union, and teachers from the north come to port royal to educate them. we did more than patrick henry. they seem to be taking to the letters real quick, general. once a man has knowledge, he ll not be satisfied unless he also has freedom. i want you to draft an order. if the president is too timid to make a stand, then i will. emancipation was happening in
does this mean that. that we re free? that s not my part to say. it is for the president. despite his rank, benjamin butler has no strategic military experience, and is considered a disaster on the battlefield. but his tenacity as a lawyer and deft political mind allow him to identify escaped slaves as contrabands of war. butler s controversial decision would eventually inspire thousands of slaves to cross union lines, creating a path for lincoln to entertain the idea of emancipation. butler s fort monroe doctrine has an immediate impact on the confederacy. when the union navy invades south carolina s sea islands, plantation owners leave behind 10,000 slaves. these new contrabands begin to grow and harvest cotton and other crops for the union,