Equality can be defined as when a specific society or isolated group has identical status in political and social respects; these three factors are most important when judging equality as they have the most impact upon people's lives. Langston Hughes boldly states that "African Americans' lives became significantly better because their lives were changed socially and politically, giving them more opportunities." I believe this to be a broad statement, only accurate when looking at the very end of the period; it is not correct when considering the immediate effects of the Emancipation proclamation or even up to the end of the 1960's. Fiehn, on the other hand, correctly states that "the principle of black protest had been established, although it took many years for laws to be changed;" he rightly identifies that it took a significant period of time before the lives of African Americans began to improve. I believe his view to be correct as, in contrast to Hughes, he does not claim that the lives of blacks improved "significantly" but rather it "took many years" for even slight progress to be made. Consequently, it is my opinion that the slaves may have been free in the 'de jure' sense but for many years in the 'de facto' they were not.
The Emancipation Proclamation was the first political movement to equality; in 1863 it proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten rebelling states. Ward believes "the Emancipation Proclamation stands as a monumental landmark in the advancement of liberty1" In contrast US history writes, "the search for equal rights was far from over with the passage of the 14th Amendment2" as the Supreme Court did nothing to ensure that the 14th Amendment, which stated that no "State [should] deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,3" was made a meaningful reality. Additionally, I believe that Lincoln himself did not desire to emancipate the slaves in the "de facto" sense as he believed it would lose the support of the slave-owning Border States.
