The words of the title above, "Abolition or Destruction" are those of the writer-orator Frederick Douglass, one of the leading figures in the American abolitionist movement. Episode 4 in the "Legends and Lies" Civil War series focuses on the gradual decision made by Abraham Lincoln on the landmark date of January 1, 1863, when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
Dateline: May 1863. Place: Fort Monroe, Virginia. Although not a stellar general, Benjamin Butler has an astute legal mind. At Fort Monroe, Butler makes the fateful decision as a Northern commander to offer sanctuary to slaves that he has seized as "contraband." Butler's so-called Fort Monroe Doctrine serves to encourage slaves in the South to escape to the North in the hope of eventually tasting freedom.
Elizabeth Keckley is an African-American seamstress and the finest in Washington. She has established the Contraband Relief Society in the attempt to provide assistance to the escaped slaves. The Militia Act of 1862 and the Second Confiscation Act provide the legal framework on which Lincoln can base the Emancipation Proclamation.
Now, all that Lincoln needs is a Northern victory wherein he can seize the moment to change history. The battle comes at Antietam, Maryland where Lee opposes McClellan. The battle is McClellan's to lose, due to a copy of Lee's war plan that was found by a Union soldier wrapped around three cigars. But McClellan's favorite word is hesitation. While McClellan thinks that he can whip Bobby Lee, his is still tentative.
At Antietam (or Sharpsburg), the two armies hurtle themselves at each other. A young Union officer, Robert Gould Shaw, leads his troops into the Confederate line. Shaw has reservations about a war that he believes has no purpose. The "Bloody Line" at Antietam on September 17, 1862 is filled with corpses on the bloodiest day in American history. The worry wart McClellan still cannot force himself to launch the final assault.
But with the Union claiming victory, due to Lee's retreat, Lincoln now has the victory that he craved. From this time forwward, the war is to be re-framed as the pursuit of "liberty," rather than a war over slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation thereby becomes a war measure, not yet a law, as it only applies to the slaves in the states who insist on rebellion.
When Lincoln signs the document, his hand is trembling. But it is not like the hesitation of McClellan that causes the numbness. Instead, Lincoln has been busy shaking hands on New Year's Day, 1863! Now, black soldiers will be allowed to joint the army. Robert Gould Shaw's 54th Regiment out of Massachusetts has the early recruits. Frederick Douglass rejoices as his hard-fought struggle has come to fruition.
The program concludes on the note that with the turning point of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War has changed from a conflict fought to preserve the Union into one that now seeks to create a new one.
Dateline: May 1863. Place: Fort Monroe, Virginia. Although not a stellar general, Benjamin Butler has an astute legal mind. At Fort Monroe, Butler makes the fateful decision as a Northern commander to offer sanctuary to slaves that he has seized as "contraband." Butler's so-called Fort Monroe Doctrine serves to encourage slaves in the South to escape to the North in the hope of eventually tasting freedom.
Elizabeth Keckley is an African-American seamstress and the finest in Washington. She has established the Contraband Relief Society in the attempt to provide assistance to the escaped slaves. The Militia Act of 1862 and the Second Confiscation Act provide the legal framework on which Lincoln can base the Emancipation Proclamation.
Now, all that Lincoln needs is a Northern victory wherein he can seize the moment to change history. The battle comes at Antietam, Maryland where Lee opposes McClellan. The battle is McClellan's to lose, due to a copy of Lee's war plan that was found by a Union soldier wrapped around three cigars. But McClellan's favorite word is hesitation. While McClellan thinks that he can whip Bobby Lee, his is still tentative.
At Antietam (or Sharpsburg), the two armies hurtle themselves at each other. A young Union officer, Robert Gould Shaw, leads his troops into the Confederate line. Shaw has reservations about a war that he believes has no purpose. The "Bloody Line" at Antietam on September 17, 1862 is filled with corpses on the bloodiest day in American history. The worry wart McClellan still cannot force himself to launch the final assault.
But with the Union claiming victory, due to Lee's retreat, Lincoln now has the victory that he craved. From this time forwward, the war is to be re-framed as the pursuit of "liberty," rather than a war over slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation thereby becomes a war measure, not yet a law, as it only applies to the slaves in the states who insist on rebellion.
When Lincoln signs the document, his hand is trembling. But it is not like the hesitation of McClellan that causes the numbness. Instead, Lincoln has been busy shaking hands on New Year's Day, 1863! Now, black soldiers will be allowed to joint the army. Robert Gould Shaw's 54th Regiment out of Massachusetts has the early recruits. Frederick Douglass rejoices as his hard-fought struggle has come to fruition.
The program concludes on the note that with the turning point of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil War has changed from a conflict fought to preserve the Union into one that now seeks to create a new one.
