In 1863, Abraham Lincoln passed both Emancipation Proclamations in Congress which saw the abolition of slavery. Many would refer to Lincoln as the "Great Emancipator"" because of his role in the passing of such a profound bill and it is a common belief by many that Lincoln had always been in favor of the abolition of slavery right from the beginning. However, there is much evidence to show that Lincoln was not always opposed to slavery given his support for the Crittenden Doctrine, which restricted the ability of Congress to ever intervene with slavery. In addition to this, Lincoln was paralysed as President as any substantive opposition to Slavery could see another wave of secession of the border and Southern states. Lincoln was not the only factor which lead to the Emancipation Proclamation being passed. There was the role of Congress in allowing the bill to pass and the role of the slaves themselves for making the abolition of Slavery a Union war aim. This essay will explore the roles played by these three factors and then deduce whether Lincoln is deserving of this title. .
It can be argued that the main reason why the thirteenth amendment was passed was because of the role of the slaves at the time. The civil war created a chaotic scene across the border and Southern states which allowed many slaves to flee to the North as refugees. Despite Northern racism and bigotry, those slaves that had managed to escape to the Union states were determined to offer themselves through selling cakes and miscellaneous activities. These activities caused Union fighters to recognise the human characteristics possessed by these slaves. This can be seen by the quotation from General Doubleday "They also know have exposed the haunts of secession spies and traitors". Furthermore when many white people were becoming reluctant to fight there was a significant effort made by black troops to fight for the Union army.