Ava's AP American Blog: LAD #20

The Emancipation Proclamation led the way to total abolition of slavery in the United States. With the Emancipation Proclamation, the aim of the war changed to include the freeing of slaves in addition to preserving the Union. It declared that slaves currently being held in the southern confederate states were now officially free according to the Union(North).  The second part of the Emancipation listed the exact states in which these slaves were freed. They were: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. One exclusion from this was New Orleans. Although they weren't actually free because the North couldn't enforce it, it lead to war further. He also declares that if a state in rebellion peacefully sends elected officials to Congress, then that state will no longer be in rebellion.Then, he declares that all slaves in the aforementioned territories are free, and that the federal government and military will recognize that freedom. He wants all the slaves to be peaceful and wants to restore faith and the union.

The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution formally abolished slavery in the United States. It provides that ”Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. It directly correlates to the Emancipation Proclamation which lead to this amendment.

Ava's AP American Blog: LAD #19

Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, addressed the issues of the Civil War (suggested that slavery had offended God and brought forth divine retribution in the form of the conflict).  His second Inaugural address was a lot shorter than his first one where he talked about the dangers of a civil war. He stated that while neither side wanted to go to war it became the only option in preserving peace.  He acknowledged that slavery was the main cause of the war, (South wanted to keep/spread it and the North wanted to abolish it).  He also vows that the Union will not stop fighting until the country is reunited and sectionalism is ended. Lincoln ends with his wish for the nation to fix it's wounds and achieve a lasting peace.



 Lincoln always put God first and believed we needed him in our country to be strong. He believed slavery was against god and brought on conflict. On the penny it says "In god we trust" with Lincoln's head relating to how Lincoln wanted peace and harmony and trust in God.