President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in parts of the Confederacy, on Jan. 1, 1863. After 150 years, people still are debating the motivation behind the order. Comments from Facebook:
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued for more reasons than most Americans understand.
Abraham Lincoln was no man's fool. He knew Britain and France were drifting toward the South. He was under pressure to act on the issue of slavery from inside his own administration and other Northern anti-slavery leaders.
The act did not end slavery in America, but it did change the cause of the war from states' rights to slavery issues. In doing so, Britain and France took a wait-and-see stance.
Politics and steering the massive weight of the ship of state are a messy and cumbersome business, even when it achieves what is noble and good. In this case, the means did justify the end.
Daniel M. Parker
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the proclamation, it's still going to take probably another 100 years before society breaks completely free of its racial polarization. The residue of the Civil War is still very evident in everyday life. Even with a black president, we still have an incredibly long way to go.
Saul O. Tarsus
Slavery was not ended because of any great nobility or caring for a people. Ask American Indians if caring existed then or today.
Letter to the editor:
Abraham Lincoln, in ending slavery in this country, worked slowly but very surely, doing all that he could when he could.
He always was moving forward in words and deeds, including the Emancipation Proclamation, toward his ultimate goal. He finally achieved it with the 13th Amendment just before he was martyred for what he had accomplished.
Mel Maurer; Westlake, Ohio