Amendments, P&T Readings, Schwalm's Hard Fight

McPherson and Hogue - "Emancipation Proclamation," President Lincoln
 Because we have discussed this already in class and I will refer back to this document in the other readings, I will be brief here. This document was issued by Lincoln on 1/1/63. Its' importance is central
freeing Southern slaves. However, it did not free Northern slaves because it was the South who had seceded. many have said it didn't go far enough and was only a military stratagy, but I think and scholars have written, that Lincoln really opposed slavery and knew why the war was being fought and where additional resources lay by way of black and white citizens. Prof. Morgan helped me to understand that in this document, Lincoln addresses the public's fears (especially with deeply entrenched racist views) but he also held them partly himself, or else he would not have stated that htey should "abstain from all violence," in part. Still, this document was a step in a crucial direction and much needed to end the war.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution
The 13th amendment prohibits slavery or involuntary servitude except for punishment as a crime. It seems to be the beginning of Reconstruction and backs up what Lincoln set out to do - abolish the "peculiar" institution. Sec. Two of that article gives Congress the power to uphold it lawfully, so that it cannot be challenged.

The 14th amendment was ratified long after Lincoln's death, but extends Reconstructionist ideals by addressing several issues, including who is a citizen and what rights does a citizen have? Section 1 refers to both naturalized and American-born citizens as having the right to life, liberty, and property and not only be judged according to due procees of the law, but speaks to both national and state law. Section 2 is about each state's representation according to its' numbers of all people EXCEPT Native Americans and women, I noticed. Section 3 refers to military and high office that no person who holds such office could participate or have participated in any hostile action against the USA or given aid to the enemy. Its' implications are obvious in that no CSA officer would suddenly get elected to be Preident, for example. This is also a warning, in my opinion, to keep something like another rebellion from happening while solidifying national interest. Section 4 is about the validity of public debt and how it should not be "questioned" (A-21). Here it states that it applies only to Northern debt and Southern debt is not recognized as valid. in other words, "we're not paying for what you caused." Finally, section 5 reinforces that Congress has the power to uphold the aforementioned.

The 15th amendment contains two sections. The first keeps voters from being denied voter's rights based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Clearly, this was necessary to prevent those who held any hostility towards ex-slaves from discriminating against them at the polls. I think it was Douglas that wrote something about such, stating if you see a black man at the poll, let him alone! Love it. Of course, it leaves women out according to the principles of the day. The last section reinforces again Congress's ability to enforce this law.

Readings from Perman and Taylor
Whenever I think there can't be a reading or essay which touches me more, I find another to blog about. I love this book! This section regards the end of slavery and what it meant to whites and blacks alike in their own words. The first letter from Benjamin Butler shows the problems faced by confused military as they discover many fugitives fleeing from the South to Union lines. He calls the slaves' condition worse than "Egyptian bondage" (p. 287). Though he uses language which is unacceptable today, I understood that he keenly felt and knew what the "contrabands" and generals faced. Later in the war, he would be instrumental (according to one essay) in freeing three slaves who turned around and helped build a Union bakery. Here, he poses many questions baout what to do with them, whether they be considered property, and uses words like "starvation," "thrown away," "God's image," and so forth, which shows me he "gets it." This letter was for the Secretary of War, but I am glad our modern American public saw it preserved because it speaks to this war's difficult and strange circumstances.

The second document is short but is by the Freedmen's Commission. There are racist ideals in it to be sure, but it also acknowledges that the commision will bow to the government's wishes and do as ordered. I felt it used the word "quietly" because of the time's attitudes toward African Americans. It also refers to the treatment of African American refugees and recommends they be treated not as "spoiled children" but as self-reliant people who are not in need of charity. Though the racism here is hardly disguised, one can see a turning point - African Americans will forever be free and we must address it, it seems to say. I did wonder if this commission intended to also bow out, in part, of economic responsibility in future reconstruction?

The third document is Lincoln's defense of the Emancipation, also called the Conkling letter. After reading this, I found the Guelzo's statement about this letter being largely ignored by scholars except for a few references to be so true! Lincoln could not attend the meeting, but meant the letter as a way to not just "write" to Conkling, but to address the public and fears/concerns/objections. Here, he defends the E.P., and gives strong voice in rhetorical flourish to his detractors. I think this letter helped me realize Lincoln was sincere even more so than did the Proclamation! He speaks directly to "you," in such a way that I felt its' force and could not understand why modern scholars and others feel it is dry. His Emancipation policy is here delineated in a way that (as the essayist confirms) that shows Lincoln's great lawyering. Each point depends on another and even has hidden jokes, if one reads carefully between the lines. He writes about the policy, its' necessity, any compromise as a "waste of time," retraction and how there is no need for it (the law will handle it), gradual emancipation and its' rejection, and so forth. He goes even further by tipping his hat to black soldiers and writes "You say you will not fight to free the Negroes. Some of them seem willing to fight for you; but no matter." Nice! Again, I hate the word Negro, but almost everyone then spoke this way. He talks about the war's progress also, but firmly says that he will keep his promise for their freedom. Lincoln knew at this time that "peace" had to come and could only do so by abolishing that dying institution. This is now my favorite Lincoln document!

Document four reconfirms what others were saying about the condition of fleeing slaves. It was written by Lorenzo Thomas and speaks to slave's mortality rates, the "helpless condition" they are in, sickness, his confeernces with Grant regarding said matter, and also acknowledges that "slavery has received its death blow" (p. 292). This letter shows again that fugitive slaves were vulnerable, but also no person in the military could deny now what the war was about - especially when confronted with African American's physical presence in large numbers.

Document five made me weep more than anything I have read in primary form. I guess in part because I am a mom, but also because it shows that mistreatment of brave African American soldiers and their families occurred on both sides of the line. Joseph Miller bravely wrote this letter (or perhaps was written for him after dictation? I say this because of the "mark" in the signature at the end) to "protest the mistreatment of his family by the U.S. Army." His detailed acct. ends in the death of his sick child due to the army's actions. War really is hell! The letter which follows his also highlights racial discrimination as was written by James Payne, a black soldier. This letter isn't just about discrimination, but tells how the war could have been won sooner if not for white attitudes towards fellow black soldiers. The letter is imassioned, concise, and makes an important point among many that although "some still plead " that "colored" sodiers are being treated well, he won't believe it until "one of the prisoners tells the story," which of course, means it is not so because no prisoner was treated well who was black.

Document 7 is by Douglass. I don't recall having read this one, but it is powerful as well. He claims black rights as important not just to the women's movement, but for the empowerment of the "black man." I wrote "this is amazing" in my margin because he is not asing for anything anyone else doesn't already have - simply, rights. I love the part where he wrote that he asked not for pity or sympathy, but to simply be allowed to have justice. This is the early 1960's come to life in 1865. His letter reminds one of when someone is talkd at and not to, especially when he says "Do nothing with us!" and that interference is an injury.

Document 8 shows the importance of slaves to the slaveowners; it is a recorded reminder of not only what slaves produced for those who treated them cruelly, but how slave aided in stopping the war through fleeing, stopping production, and so on. Ms. Thomas meant the entry as a diary lamentation, but I am also glad this survived in history because it shows the disintegration of a society which could not be.

Guelzo's essay is about the Conkling letter and as mentioned, the importance of its' content, Lincoln's skill in prose, but most importantly, Lincoln's solid commitment to emancipation. Guelzo uses Lincoln's words at every turn to prove the President's sincerity and skill, despite what other scholars have said (or not said) about the letter. The anecdote about Conkling's reaction elicited a smile from me - esp. the way it was delivered. Guelzo affirms that Lincoln's letter addressed "the public opposition to emancipation most directly..." (p. 300). I liked this essay a lot probably because of my major, but also because it mirrors the Conkling letter by imitating its' form of point/counterpoint with examples and treats the topic of black cicil rights and journalistic reception.  The next essay is longer but also valuable. It is by Glatthaar and carefully delineates the role of African-Americans in the war. Though he takes nothing away from white soldier's successes, the author confirms how and why blacks were important in the war. Topics such as roles, work sabotage, labor, the Confiscation Acts and how they helped turn the tide toward Confederacy defeat, obstruction and flight to Union lines helped to push the war towards its end. All of these factors made winning the war possible for the Union even when untrained soldiers were allowed to fight. I saw many of Schwalm's points here, especially regarding labor on former plantations. Black enlistment and white attitudes about such were also treated here.

Schwalm's Hard Fight...
Scwalm's scholarship on women is hard to encapsulate in just one paragraph (but I'll try - I'm also writing my paper on her). Chapter three is about the importance of women in conjunction with the end of the war. Women helped to destabilize the economy of South Carolina through work stoppage, resistance, etc. while showing great courage because the war came not only to men, but to women's home front and threatened, if not enveloped, their hearths and families. It signaled war-time change and the destruction of the South as it was known. The demands made of them during the war and shortages of food and supply meant they had less than before even as their work increased. Further, impressment "severed community" and familial ties, which meant that slaves had nothing to lose and much to gain in escaping or otherwise undermining the South's war efforts. Black men and white men became absent from the home as impressment and enlistment increased. Planters also got rid of slaves they couldn't provide for by black labor. "Wartime flight" also divided families at times and made Southerners doubly paranoid. Sometimes escape was necessary to avoid family separation too and this aided the Union because it meant more bodies for the fight. Schwalm also writes about what happened beyond Union lines, uses examples of individual families like Lizzie's  and writes about slave women's change in attitude as perceived in the South. The punishment inflicted on them was so very barbaric with the threat of death always looming and perhaps almost preferable to their terrible conditions.  I understand why humans do things they would never do under extraordinary circumstances as a result of this book. Chapter 4 and five regard the end of the war, destruction of that region's slavery, and the first year of freedom. I didn't know that slaves did not always perceive the Union soldiers as liberators and for two good reasons: first, they were told untrue stories by their owners designed for coercion, and second, I think the uncertainty of it all caused suspicion on their part for good reason. Who to trust but oneself? he pictures included tell a thousand words but I also found descriptions of unwelcome planters in the early end days to be interesting. Schwalm puts more into this scholarship than most! There was no going back and those brave women made sure of it, food, clothing, shoes or anything else notwithstanding.