Did the Freedom of Slaves Come From Above or Below?

The Civil War was the bloodiest war in American history. Thousands of people, from both the north and the south, died for one reason. That reason was the freedom of slaves. Although, in the beginning  the north and Abraham Lincoln insisted it was not about slavery many people knew it was.  Then when the 13th amendment was a passed in 1865 by congress the public wondered who really influenced the amendment getting passed. Was it from above (Lincoln and the government) or from below(slaves and public)? This led to our class lesson we analyzed documents, pictures, and videos to try and determine who 'gave' freedom to the enslaved Americans? Did freedom come from above or below? To what extent were Abraham Lincoln's actions influenced by the actions of enslaved Americans?

Freedom came from above in many ways. The obvious one is they are the ones who established the 13th amendment.  Also they gave support to the slaves from the very beginning even though they never fully admitted it. One individual, specifically, who was cautious about admitting how he felt was Abraham Lincoln. However, in his second inaugural address he finally stated that the slaves were and always were the cause of the war.  In the address he states, "These slaves constituted a powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of war". By stating this, Lincoln told the Union, the Confederacy, and the whole world that he and Washington were 100% supportive of freeing the slaves and he would do everything in his power to make African Americans no longer suffered from slavery.

Slaves arriving at Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi

Freedom also came from below, but in other ways. One way they fought against the South was they would pillage towns. In a letter written by a Union general about what he saw while walking through a town in the South he wrote, " after the enemy & citizens fled from the town, were committed by the negroes, before our troops reached the city— They seemed to be wild with excitement and delight" The slaves would run through cities after everyone left and take things for themselves and cause a raucous. Another example is the painting of slaves arriving at Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi. The vast numbers of slaves caused trouble for the Union soldiers because they did not know what to do with all of the ex-slaves. All these acts caused the government to have to work to find a solution of what to do with all the slaves quicker.

In my opinion, the freedom of slavery came above more than below. It was Lincoln and the Union who fought against the south and who created the amendment and laws that sanctioned slavery. I think the one thing that he slaves, or below, did to aid with the process of freedom was to make it come sooner. With all the pandemonium created by the slaves, it caused Washington to find a solution for them sooner so the chaos they caused would stop. Today there are many instances where the people from below influence the government and people from above to make decisions and make them quicker. An example is with the controversy of same sex marriage many protests caused the governments of each state to find a solution sooner, Also the solution they created would also have to cause the people from below to stop protesting. The public helps influence decisions made by the government through actions, and it will continue to work that way for as long the United States is a democracy.