1. AFRICAN AMERICAN
REACTION TO THE
EMANCIPATION
PROCLAMATION
Cat Serpe

2.  Who: African Americans
-notable African Americans – Frederick Douglass
-free and enslaved
 What: Reactions to the issuance of the Emancipation
Proclamation
 When: January 1, 1863
 Where: North and South

3. Major Points
 How blacks were informed of the Proclamation
 Positive view of the issuance and of Lincoln
-Celebrations in the North and the South
 Negative view
 Gratitude for progress

4. Informed Uninformed
 Order from Gen. Milroy
-New York  Henry Cheatam and Mary
 Informal slave grapevine Estes Peters
 James Simms -Mississippi and Arkansas
-Georgia
 The Government Printing  Slaveholders attempted to
Office and Governor John hide the news
Andrew created copies to
distribute

5. Celebrations
 New York  Religious services
 New Jersey  Sermons
 Massachusetts  General interchange of
 Illinois sentiments
 Washington DC  Masses
 South Carolina  Music
 Pennsylvania  Supper
 Parades

6. Negative
DOUGLASS' MONTHLY - March, 1863
REBEL VIEW OF THE PROCLAMATION
“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the
institution of slavery in the States where it exists. “
Jerone Bennett
Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln’s White Dream
“…the gravest charge that one can place against him is that he
betrayed the trust of four million slaves who, not having reliable
information, believed Lincoln was their friend because their
enemies said Lincoln was their enemy”

7. Frederick Douglass
 Admitted some disappointment in the Proclamation
 Tremont Temple hosted a meeting for many great
black abolitionists
“thanked God that he was alive to see the end of slavery.”

8. Gratitude for progress
THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER - January 3, 1863
THE PRESIDENT'S PROCLAMATION
DOUGLASS' MONTHLY - February, 1863
REJOICING OVER THE PROCLAMATION
DOUGLASS' MONTHLY - February, 1863
THE RESULTS OF THE PROCLAMATION.
THE CHRISTIAN RECORDER - January 30, 1864
EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION AT WILMINGTON

9. Discussion
 What were your initial thoughts on this topic?
 Were you surprised that slaves were celebrating,
even though they were aware that they wouldn’t
immediately be freed?

10. Picture references
 Sources:
Primary: African American newspapers, slave narratives,
poems
Secondary: Allen Guelzo, Lerone Bennett, and Eric Foner
 http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/
EmanProc.html
 http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/almintr.html
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html