IndexThe meaning of freedomThe power of educationMy bibliography“I felt like a bird out of the cage. Amen. Amen. Amen. I could hardly ask to feel better than I did that day…. The week passed in a blaze of glory” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Houston H. Holloway, former slave, on the Emancipation Proclamation of 1865 "I was free, but there was none to welcome me into the land of the free. I was a stranger in a strange land." Attributed to Harriet Tubman, on the Emancipation Proclamation of 1865 There have been many significant events that have occurred in the history of America: from the first European settlement in North America in 1565, to the Seven Years and American Revolutionary War of 1775. But few could rival the ripple effects that the end of the Civil War inflicted on America. After years of agony, humiliation, and psychological pain inflicted by white Americans on defenseless enslaved African Americans, the centuries in which they had to admirably endure this pain finally seemed to be over towards the end of the Civil War. . That is, Lincoln's controversial decision to proceed with the Emancipation Proclamation, a document which stated that “all persons held as slaves within any state or designated part of a state, …. Then, from that moment on, he will be free forever." The initial impact that this major turning point in the war had was harsh, not because of the change in the sanctity of life for the African American slaves themselves, but because of the outcome of the war. After this declaration, there was an increase in slaves fleeing their white owners in the South, enlisting and strengthening the Union Army but, at the same time, weakening the Confederacy, whose economy relied largely on the use of slaves , but also dissuading potential European imperial powers from supporting the Confederation. Whether or not Lincoln's priority was to abolish slavery before the Civil War does not matter, but rather it was inevitable that there would be a period of transition, a period now known as the Reconstruction Era (1863-1877) in modern times . The Emancipation Proclamation transformed the war from a political war, where Lincoln's main priority was the preservation of the Union, into a moral war, inducing revised existing perceptions and widely shared beliefs among white Americans that their mistreatment towards former African Americans they were justifiable or not. When the war came to a final end, the introduction of the Emancipation Proclamation breathed new life into the freedmen, who finally had this breakthrough that left them on an open playing field. But what is more interesting are the events that followed the Emancipation Proclamation, particularly the Reconstruction era, where former African Americans sought many answers to different problems such as integration, but one commonality among virtually all former African American slaves it was the solution to an extremely difficult philosophical question. What is freedom? And more importantly, what freedom could make up for a century of humiliation, torture and suffering that the proud black community has had to endure? Although the expectation of many slave abolitionists at the time was the desire for a clear future, in reality the Emancipation Proclamation transformed a war of armies into a conflict of societies, with slavery at the center of it all. The former slaves were legally freed, but the lack of identity and sense of direction led to a stagnant progression thatit had been dreamed of, but never realized, with society as a whole unable to replicate the same ambition and desire displayed by these former slaves. slaves. It is important to state that this brief but extremely significant era must be recognized and remembered as the potential danger that learning about the changes that followed the Emancipation Proclamation, especially in the lives of African American slaves, would inevitably further divide racial groups and isolate us from fully understanding of the meaning of slavery. But also, perhaps emotionally, to dismiss slavery as something that occurred as something anomalous to the progress of humanity would be brutal and disgusting to those who sacrificed themselves and died martyrs like John Brown, where if humanity pursued this method of thinking, it would. they died in vain, failing to realize their dreams of sparking conversations and coexistence between racial groups. My thesis to the question, "To what extent did the lives of African Americans change following the Emancipation Proclamation?", is that following the Emancipation Proclamation. Although the conditions offered treatment similar to that of slavery, there was the restoration of dignity among the former African American slaves and the rise of a well-developed black community built on pride, strength and will that was adamant in becoming considered equal to their former white slaves. masters. One thing to note is that although the Emancipation Proclamation had no direct impact on cultural factors, simply the idea of ​​freedom emitted by it, was an underlying trigger that sought to repair a diminished identity among the African Americans since they were slaves. Of note in this essay is that any changes in the lives of African Americans have been constant and general, as it is important to recognize that changes in the lives of African Americans varied differently from state to state and there is simply not enough time to examine all of the changes in the lives of African Americans. all states, but rather the more obvious ones that occurred in America. The Meaning of Freedom Perhaps the most dramatic difference between the pre-Emancipation Proclamation and the post-Emancipation Proclamation is the introduction of the idea of ​​freedom. But before proceeding we need to clarify what the definition of freedom is. The problem is that defining such an ambiguous concept with a definitive outline would be extremely imprecise and, due to historical events and the natural order of time, definitions and terminologies risk being altered and assigning an alternative value. The most sensible and intuitive approach to take in this scenario is to define what freedom meant during the Reconstruction era, but particularly for former African American slaves. For many, the definition of freedom was to be presented with a fair opportunity for family reunification. lost in years of slavery, selling or running away, to ensure that their children received an education to gain a deeper insight into life and develop as an individual and this should come as no surprise but to refrain from suffering violence and sexual exploitation which was an overwhelming presence in the institution of slavery and also the possibility of securing occupations that can provide for the support of one's family.2 This, it seems, is an effective definition and concept of freedom. Unfortunately, even the most ambiguous term like freedom has limitations. An example of this would be that freedom does not protect itself from racial hatred, from inequalities of opportunity, or from a factor that worsened even beyond the Reconstruction era, discrimination that continued into the late 20th century. The realization of thisNewfound freedom possessed by a former slave was incredible, with a wide range of opportunities offered such as control of one's occupation but unfortunately they faced the same amount of problems that came with freedom. An analogy of this complicated and frustrating dilemma would be if they were offered to release their sealed wings and fly only to discover that there is a larger cage that presents itself as an obstacle, from which one cannot escape even with the power of freedom . Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that while freedom had its advantages, there were also disadvantages that were probably worse than the advantages. The Power of Education Few factors were more essential than enlisting in the military, which was fortunately recognized by former African American slaves as the key to understanding life and, more importantly, how to better use their freedom, with the admission that to satisfy wanting to be placed on an equal footing with their fellow white Americans, they first had to undergo the same educational procedures that white Americans had experienced. The opportunity for education initially arose through military enlistment where 180,000 blacks served in the Union Army, providing further proof that the Emancipation Proclamation would be a success. Although former African American slaves were still subject to abuse, the Army gave former slaves a dignified sense of purpose, knowing that their actions could help bring about the Civil War. In the army, former slaves learned to read and write in the army from teachers employed by Northern aid societies or in classrooms and literary clubs founded and financed by the soldiers themselves. The importance of education was further heightened when many black soldiers exited the military to become black political leaders of Reconstruction, including dozens of delegates to state constitutional conventions, sixty legislators, three lieutenant governors, and four members of Congress. Soon many African Americans understood that In order for their community to move as far away from slavery as possible, they needed to acquire knowledge that had been accessible to white Americans. But for them, accessibility to education was largely limited, except for a few blacks who were taught by the minority of white teachers who felt sympathetic to them. The lives of African Americans changed soon after the Civil War when they were exposed to the creation of schools. One of the ways this was achieved was through the Freedmen's office. The Freedmen's Bureau was created in 1865 by President Abraham Lincoln, where one of the many ways he aimed to help former slaves was through the exposure of education to them. However, the involvement of blacks themselves cannot be underestimated, since many schools were created on their own. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This involved a long and drawn out process in which they would pool their then scarce resources to hire teachers and create schools by finding buildings, constructing buildings, or using abandoned buildings, to create schools. Not only children attended these schools, but also adults and the elderly who sought education to understand their experiences and also to broaden their knowledge. Black people understood that education was essential to becoming American citizens and learning to read, as they could now gain skills to combat the racism that had oppressed them for centuries through law and other means. Overall, the lives of African Americans have changed tremendously in terms of education,.