Who Really Wants the Freedom?

Essential Question: Essential Question: who gave freedom to enslaved Americans? Did freedom come from above or below? To what extent were Abraham Lincoln's actions influenced by the actions of enslaved Americans?

In class we were given the essential questions. They were asking who gave freedom to enslaved Americans, and if the slaves freedom came from above or below. The freedom from a above and below question is pretty much asking if the slaves caused their own freedom or if someone who is from the upper class. The last question is asking if Abe Lincoln's actions influenced the actions of enslaved Americans. To answer these questions, we did various activities in class. We made a line plot as a group to show the events that caused freedom of slavery. We put the events that we thought came from above below. And vice versa. This was a good way to visualize all of the events that caused the freedom of Americans.

To show that freedom may have came form below you could reference the open letter written to Horace Greeley from Lincoln. In the letter, Lincoln claimed he did not make it a mission to save slaves. It was not on the top of his to do list. He wanted to save the Union. Abe said "If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it." This proves that Lincoln did not care that much for the freedom of American slaves and the slaves had to give themselves the freedom they wanted. They were fed up with their horrible treatment and decided to rise up. In the letter from general Ambrose, he said how slaves were wild and full of delight after they took a city that his forces were holding down. This evidence proves that some of their freedom did actually come from below and the slaves caused their own freedom.

Lincoln giving freedom to the slaves

If you believed slavery came from above, then you would probably point out the emancipation proclamation that Lincoln signed. The signing of the emancipation proclamation freed all slaves and it also let them fight in the war. In the proclamation, Lincoln said that in time of actual armed rebellion, he could use any help he could get. Lincoln stated that anybody in suitable conditions would be sent into the United States armed forces. In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, he reminded everyone that the cause of the war was slavery instead of preserving the Union. He said the slavery had “offended God”. This relates back to slavery coming from above because Lincoln made it a point that it was still a point to defeat the south because of slavery and not saving the Union.

To answer the essential the main essential question of did the freedom to slaves come from above or below, I would say it came from above. I think the emancipation proclamation was the main cause of freedom and the big guy himself issued it, not the slaves. Freedom could also come from below, but not in this case. I feel like the people who are below would try harder to get their freedom than the people from above giving out the freedom because the people from above would not be gaining anything by giving the freedom.

This is a picture of the activity that we did in class that helped visualize the events that caused freedom to slaves.