The Great Emancipator: A Look at Who Really Freed the Slaves

Abstract

In recent years, the discussion of who freed the slaves has become a more controversial topic. It used to be that when someone asked this question the answer was easily Abraham Lincoln. However, today some historians argue that the slaves freed themselves. In this paper, I take a look at both the self-emancipation and the pro-Lincoln sides of the argument. These arguments are then paired with letters and speeches written by Lincoln, along with statistics from the 1860 Presidential Election to show two things. First, yes, those who argue self-emancipation have some validity because the slaves did in fact assist the Union during the Civil War. Second, and most importantly it will show that Lincoln did in fact free the slaves.