President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation

January 1 marks the 145th anniversary of the day that slavery in the U.S. was officially abolished. A preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation was presented by President Lincoln on September 22, 1862.

The presidential proclamation declared that slaves residing in the designated rebellion areas would be free as of January 1, 1863. On that day, the Emancipation Proclamation took effect and the event was commemorated by widespread celebrations.

In retrospect, the Emancipation Proclamation did not have an immediate effect in freeing slaves. However, the Emancipation Proclamation continues to be celebrated and remembered for the message it conveyed to the Confederate states as well as the rest of the world -- that slavery would not be permitted in the United States of America.

Assign students to write a report of about 200 words, using at least three of the resources found through this pathfinder:

Click Topics tab > Select Civil War (1861 - 1865) > Click Freeing Slaves

The report should address at least three of these examples of essential questions for critical thinking (teachers may want to add or substitute their own):

• What was the immediate impact of the emancipation on the slave population in the U.S.?
  
  
• What freedoms were granted to slaves by the emancipation proclamation?
  
  
• What freedoms were denied to slaves, officially or unofficially?
  
  
• What was the general attitude of citizens of the Union States to the emancipation?
  
  
• What were the attitudes of the new states and territories to the emancipation?
  
  
• What was the attitude of other countries to the emancipation?

Here is a fresh ProQuest model that students can use for written reports.

PowerPoint reports are a recommended alternative way for students to express their knowledge and reasoned opinion -- limit: three minutes. This method provides students with an opportunity to share with their peers. It also provides an opportunity for students to be questioned to validate their research and limit plagiarism -- limit of two questions. It also helps students to develop standards-based language arts presentation skills.

Be sure to use one of our pair of new PPT models, one for essential questions and a second for engaging issues.