Thenceforward and Forever Free
Abraham Lincoln and His Emancipation Proclamation, The Strobridge Lith. Co, 1888. Source: LOC
150 years ago this month, President Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. In it, he announced that on January 1, all slaves in rebellious states would be “then, thenceforward, and forever free.” Today, Lincoln is remembered as “The Great Emancipator” — but the story is much more complicated.
On this episode, the History Guys set out to understand the way Americans thought about emancipation in 1862, and reflect on the ways its meanings have shifted since then. Along the way, they make stops at the Emancipation Memorial in Washington D.C., the Civil War centennial commemorations in the height of the Civil Rights Era, and the former capital of the Confederacy. And they hear the voices of former slaves themselves, remembering their first experiences of freedom.
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Guests Include:
- David Blight, Professor of American History at Yale University
- Ta-Nehisi Coates, senior editor for The Atlantic
- Christy Coleman, President of the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
- Kirk Savage, Professor of the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh
- Michael Vorenberg, Associate Professor of History at Brown University
Further Exploration
Resources galore! Enjoy some outside links compiled by the BackStory team to create a more complete picture of the narratives surrounding emancipation, and consult a bibliography of sources used in the making of this episode.
Even Further
Read the listener discussion that helped shape this episode.
See a listing of music used in the making of this episode.
Individual segments from this episode.
Not sure you Americans don’t make over much of this. Hasn’t practically everyone been in slavery somewhere up their family tree? The Russian serfs weren’t freed until about the same time as the US slaves. Serfdom was the natural economic situation all over Europe (and is pretty much bound to be in an agrarian economy). It was industrialisation not Lincoln or Wilberforce that freed the slaves, as seen most obviously in the industrial N and agricultural S of the USA.
QuoteNumber 1, serfdom is not the same as chattel slavery.
Number 2, the idea that slavery was on its way to imminent extinction due to technological progress ignores the actual history of slavery in America. There were about 4 million slaves in the Confederacy vs. about 6 million whites. Imagine what the white people thought would happen if those slaves were freed. Among everything else, they were absolutely terrified of this population of people who they had kept in bondage for centuries.
This is the corollary of the ahistorical idea that the Union could simply have paid the Confederacy off for the cost of their slaves. The white South had absolutely no interest in losing their slaves. Not just because of their labor, but because slavery represented the sort of society they desired to have, one in which they were superiors and another group were inferior. The South had very distinct plans, not to end slavery, but to expand it further south, into a full-fledged empire. They didn’t get that far, not because they didn’t want to, but because they didn’t have the practical ability to in the moment, and the the Civil War ended the thing for them anyway. But the idea that chattel slavery in the US was coming to a close when the Civil War began is to ignore the actual history of slavery in America.
QuoteI really liked this show, and will be linking to it as a resource from my web site.
QuoteAs always, this was another great show. Very well produced. I was truly amazed to hear the actual voices of slaves that lived and sufferd over 150 years ago. Thanks for your great work!
QuoteThis was a great, broad ranging exploration of the politics, timing, and motivations for Lincoln’s Proclamation.
For me one of the best segments was the one about “Lincolnizing” the abolition of slavery. Your caller’s suggestion that we think of a mini-van rather than a lincoln was most apt.
We rarely hear of the thousands of slaves who set off to become contraband despite the poor conditions they faced when they reached the Union Lines.
I grew up during the 60s and the cold war. Remember the notion of people voting with their feet? The movement of the slaves to the Union lines was a perfect example of this.
As to why there is only one monument to abolition: I think large segments of the population are still, at best, ambivalent about it. Why else would we be hearing jokes about Obama losing the upcoming election because, “after all, it’s called The Whitehouse for a reason” ?
QuoteI’m putting together a lesson plan for the Emancipation Proclamation for high school juniors and this podcast will help tremendously! Thank you all for doing such a great job exploring the issues of the time – I will definitely try to ‘unLincolnize’ my lesson. Any suggestions for some primary source materials that could shed light on all of the parties behind emancipation efforts besides Lincoln? I am also trying to come up with some good guiding questions for students concerning Lincoln’s evolution on the subject – any suggestions would be much appreciated.
QuoteThank you Backstory
Beautiful. Thank You.
QuoteI definitely agree, Jim!
I’ve spent most of the evening searching for an illustration of Harriet Hosmer’s idea for the Emancipation Memorial. Though born and raised in DC, i didn’t see this Lincoln statue until i was in my late 40s. By then i’d learned enough U.S. history to find it infuriating. I’d put it out of my mind until i heard this segment tonight. Now that i’ve learned much more about the sculpting of this. this… i’d really like to see Ms. Hosmer’s idea.
QuotePFletch — You can find a good photo (and a much more detailed discussion of the design) in Kirk Savage’s Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves. There’s also a smallish photo available online here. (The first of the two images attributed to Hosmer is the one discussed in the show; she reworked the design a few years later.) Hope that helps!
– Jess, Associate Producer
QuoteTHANKS, Jess! Now i’m off to the library to request an ILL for Savage’s book. Many thanks!!
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