How the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, and Other Essay

How the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, and Other Federal Civil Rights Legislation Altered the Lives of African Americans - Essay Example The Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment altered the lives of African Americans by setting them free from slavery and also keeping the slaves from having complete freedom. The new changes of the legislation were temporary because throughout the period of 1863 and 1877 the gang-labor system and other federal civil right complications rose, resulting in a new Amendment that consecrated black civil rights. After the defeat of the South, the slaves that weren’t controlled by the Union were freed. Lincoln did not free the slaves in the states that were loyal to the Union, simply because he did not want to upset them. The slaves that were freed weren’t completely free because the wages and the rules that plantation owners set up was similar to slavery. The gang-labor system Even though the Emancipation Proclamation claimed to end the slavery and relieve the blacks its impact was limited or restricted. It only was limited to the states that had seceded from the Union. So the slavery from the Border States was relatively unaffected. The freedom, therefore, was dependent on the Union Military victory. â€Å"Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it captured the hearts and imagination of millions of Americans and fundamentally transformed the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. Moreover, the Proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.† (Archives Government)