“The Prayer of Twenty Millions”
– Horace Greeley, abolitionist and editor of The New York Tribune
Antislavery critics continued to put pressure on Lincoln as the war dragged on. Influential abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, concerned that Lincoln would fail to act, denounced him as “a man so manifestly without moral vision, so incompetent to lead…” In 1862, Horace Greeley wrote a passionate plea to free the slaves in an editorial titled “The Prayer of Twenty Millions.” Lincoln replied: “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery.” Yet, even as he wrote these words, he had a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation in his desk.
Lincoln knew he needed what historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., has called “a game-changer, a bold stroke” to gain support for the Union cause. Despite being politically risky, emancipation would strike a blow to the southern economy and officially welcome African Americans into the armed forces as combat soldiers.
Watch this video. As you watch, take notes on how abolitionists, the course of the war, and the potential impact of emancipation influenced Lincoln to issue the famous document.
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Take Notes
How did abolitionists, the course of the war, and the potential impact of emancipation influence Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?
Calderwood Writing Course: U.S. History
