Table of ContentsThe Meaning of FreedomThe Power of EducationMy Bibliography“I Felt Like a Bird Out of a 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 Should Not Be Banned”? Get former slave Houston H. Holloway's original essay on the Emancipation Proclamation of 1865 “I was free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of the free. I was a stranger in a strange land. "Attributed to Harriet Tubman, on the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Many important events have occurred in American history: from the first European settlement in North America in 1565 to the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence of 1775. But few could match the ripple effects that the end of the Civil War inflicted on America after years of agony, humiliation and pain. psychological inflicted by white Americans on helpless African Americans who were enslaved, the centuries during which they had to endure this pain admirably seemed to have finally ended near the end of the Civil War. Lincoln's controversial decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, a document which stated that "all persons held as slaves in any State or designated part thereof,...Shall then, henceforth, and forever be free." The initial impact of this major turning point in the war was brutal, not because of the change in the sanctity of the lives of African American slaves themselves, but because of the outcome of the war. Following this statement, there was an increase in the number of slaves. escaping their white Southern owners, 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 to deter imperial powers potential Europeans to support the Confederation. Whether or not Lincoln's priority was to abolish slavery before the Civil War is irrelevant, 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, to a moral war, inducing revised and existing perceptions and widely held beliefs on the part of Americans whites, as to whether the mistreatment of former African Americans was justifiable or not. As the war came to its final end, the introduction of the Emancipation Proclamation breathed new life into the freedmen, who finally had this unveiling that left them on an open playing field. But what is most interesting are the events following the Emancipation Proclamation, particularly the Reconstruction era, where former African Americans were looking for many answers to different problems such as integration, but A commonality among virtually all former African-American slaves was the solution to a problem. extremely difficult philosophical question. What is freedom? And more importantly, what freedom would compensate for approximately a century of humiliation, torture and suffering that the proud black community has had to endure? a war of armies into a conflict of societies, with slavery at the heart of it all. Former slaves were legally freed,but the lack of identity and sense of direction led to a stagnant progression that was dreamed of but never put into practice, with society as a whole unable to replicate the same ambition and desire manifested by these former slaves. slaves. It is important to emphasize that this brief, but extremely significant, era must be recognized and remembered, as it carries the potential dangers of nonconformity. Learn about the changes that followed the Emancipation Proclamation, especially in life of African-American slaves, would inevitably further divide racial groups and prevent us from fully understanding the meaning of slavery. But also, perhaps emotionally, dismissing slavery as something aberrational in the progress of humanity would be brutal and sickening to those who sacrificed and died as martyrs like John Brown, or if humanity continued This method of thinking, they died in vain, failing to realize their dreams of sparking conversations and coexistence between racial groups. My dissertation on the question “How much did life change for African Americans after the Emancipation Proclamation?” ", is this following the Emancipation Proclamation? , although conditions harbored treatment similar to that of slavery, dignity was restored among former African American slaves and the birth of a well-developed black community, built on pride, strength and will who was determined to be seen as the equal of their formerly white self. masters. One thing to note is that although the Emancipation Proclamation did not have a direct impact on cultural factors, the simple idea of ​​freedom that emanated from it was an underlying trigger aimed at repairing a diminished identity among African Americans since they were slaves. What can be made in this essay is that any changes in the lives of African Americans were constant and general, because it is important to recognize that the changes in the lives of African Americans varied differently from one state to state and that there simply wasn't enough time to examine all the changes in the lives of African Americans. all states, but rather the most obvious ones that occurred in America. But before continuing, we must clarify what the definition of freedom is. The problem is that defining such an ambiguous concept with a definitive outline would be extremely inaccurate, and that historical events and the natural order of time risk changing definitions and terminologies and assigning them 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 had to be presented with a fair opportunity to reunite one's family. lost during the years of slavery, either by selling or escaping, to ensure that their children have an education that allows them to gain a deeper understanding of life and develop as an individual and this does not should surprise no one, but one must refrain from the violence and sexual exploitation that were an overwhelming presence in the institution of slavery and also the opportunity to obtain jobs that could support one's family. 2 This turns out to be an effective definition and concept of freedom. Unfortunately, even with the most ambiguous term such as freedom, it will have limits. An example of this would be that freedom is not protected against racial hatred, inequality of opportunity or a factor that has become even worse beyond the era ofreconstruction, the discrimination which continued towards the end of the 20th century. The awareness of this new found freedom that a former slave possessed was incredible, with a wide range of opportunities afforded such as control of one's profession, but unfortunately they were faced with an equal number of freedom-related issues . An analogy to this complicated and frustrating dilemma would be if they were asked to release their sealed wings and fly only to discover that there is a larger cage that presents itself as an obstacle, which one cannot escape even with the power of freedom . It is therefore important to keep in mind that although freedom had its advantages, there were also disadvantages which were arguably worse than the advantages. The power of education. Few factors were more essential than enlistment in the military, which was fortunately recognized by former African American slaves as the key to understanding life and, more importantly, making better use of it. their freedom, recognizing that to satisfy their desire to be placed on an equal footing with their fellow white Americans, they must first follow the same educational procedures that white Americans have experienced. The opportunity to become educated first arose through military enlistment where 180,000 blacks served in the Union Army, providing further evidence that the Emancipation Proclamation would be a success . Although former African American slaves still faced abuse, the military gave them a sense of dignity, knowing that their actions could help determine the Civil War. In the army, former slaves learned to read and write from teachers employed by Northern aid societies or in classrooms and literary clubs created and financed by the soldiers themselves. The importance of education increased further when many black soldiers emerged from the army to become black political leaders of Reconstruction, including dozens of delegates to state constitutional conventions, sixty legislators, three lieutenants- governors and four members of Congress. Soon, many African Americans understood that for their community to move as far away from slavery as possible, they must acquire knowledge that was accessible to white Americans. But for them, access to education was largely restricted, with the exception of a few blacks who were taught by the minority of white masters who sympathized with them. The lives of African Americans changed immediately after the Civil War when they were exposed to the establishment of schools. One way to do this was through the Freedmen's office. The Freedmen's Bureau was established in 1865 by President Abraham Lincoln, where one of the many ways he aimed to help former slaves was through exposure to education. However, the involvement of blacks themselves cannot be underestimated, as many schools were established on their own. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This involved a long and grueling process where they pooled their resources which were meager at the time, to hire teachers and they established schools by finding buildings, constructing buildings, or using buildings abandoned, to create schools. In these schools, it was not only children who attended these schools, but also adults and elderly people who sought education to understand the experiences they had gone through and to also expand their knowledge. Black people understood that education was essential,.