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1863 « EMANCIPATION PROCALAMATION » 1932 '
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A Proclamation providing for the
emancipation of the skves in certain
parts of the Confederate States, issued
as a war measure by President Lin
coln, Jan. 1, 1863. The number oi
staves emancipated by this proclama
tion was taking the census of 1860 aa
a basis, as follows:
Alabama — — — --- 435,08C
Arkansas — . . — -—111,111
Florida-- ....-— 61,74£
Georgia — . — - -462,19£
Louisiana ..— .— -- 247„71£
Mississippi ..__ 436,631
North CCarolina --- 331,05J
South Carolina ........... — 402,041
Texas ..... 182,561
Virginia..... —450,00<
Total _.-3,120,15!
The number of slaves not affectei
by its provisions was about 832,000.
The full text of the proclamation is
as follows:
Whereas, on the twenty second day
of September, one thousand eight
hundred and sixty two, a proclama
tion was issued by the President of
the United States, containing, among
other things, the following towit:
That, on the first day of January
in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three, all per
sons held as slaves within any State,
or designated part of State, the
people whereof shall be in rebellion
! against the United States, including
I the military and naval officers there
l of, will recognize and maintain the
> freedom of such persons, and will do
I no act or acts to repress such per
sons, or any of them, in any efforts
they may make for their actual free
dom.
That the executive Will, on the
first day of January aforesaid, by
and parts of States, if any, in which
the people thereof shall be in rebel
lion against the United States, and
the fact that any State, or the people
thereof, shall on that day, be, in good
faith, represented in the Congress of
the United States by members chosen
thereto at elections wherein a majority
of the qualified voters of such state
shall have participated, shall, in the
absence of strong countervailing
testimony be deemed conclusive evi
dence that such State and the people
thereof are not than in rebellion
against the United States.
Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lin
coln, President of the United States,
by virtue of the power in me vested
as Commander-in-chief of the Army
and Navy of the United States in
time of actual armed rebellion against
the authority and Government of the
United States, and as a fit and nec
essary war measure for suppressing
said rebellion, do, on this first day of
January, in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and sixty
three, and in accordance with my pur
pose so to do, publicly proclaim for
the full period of one hundred days
from the day of the first above
mentioned order, and designate, as
the States and parts of States where
in the people thereof respectively are
this day in rebellion against the Un
ited States, the following, to wit:
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except
the parishes of St. Bernard, Plaque
mines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Char
les, St. James, Ascension, Assump
tion, Terre Bonne, Lafourche, St.
Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, includ
I ing the city of New Orleans), Miss
issippi, Alabama, Floriday, Georgia,
South Carolina, North Carolina, and
Virginia (except forty.eight counties
designated as West Virginia, and also
the counties of Berkeley, Accomac,
Northampton, Elizabeth Cityf York,
Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including
the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth)
and which excepted parts are, for the
present, left precisely as if this pro
clamation were not issued.
And by virtue of the power and for
the purpose aforesaid, I do order and |
declare that all persons held as slaves
within said designated States and
parts of States, are, and hencefor
ward shall be, free; and that the Ex
ecutive Government of tl)e United
States, including the military and na
val authorities thereof, will recognize
and maintain the freedom of said
persons
And I hereby enjoin upon the peo
ple so declared to be free to abstain
from all violence, unless in necessary
self-defense, and I recommend to them
that, in all cases, when allowed, they
labor faithfully for reasonable wages.
And I further declare and make
known, that such persons, of suitable
conditions, will be received into the
armed service of the United States
| to garrison forts, positions, stations,
and other places, and to man vessels
of all sorts in said service. ^
And upon this act, sincerely believ
ed to be an act of justice, warranted
by the Constitution, upon military
necessity, I invoke the considerate
judgment of mankind and the grac
ious favor of Almighty God.
In testimony whereof, I have here
unto set my name, and caused the seal
of the United States to be affixed.
(L. S.) Done at the city of Wash
ington, this first day of January, in
the year of our Lord, one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three, and of
the Independence of the United States
the eighty-seventh.
By the President,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
William H. Seward, Secretary of
State
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