, 1862-11-08
The world would be better for it


Freedom to the Slaves in the Rebellious
States---Proclamation of the President.
l, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United
States of America, and Commander-in-C Chief Of
the Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim
and declare, that hereafter, as before the war
will be prosecuted for the object of practically
restoring the constitutional relations between the
United States and the people thereof in which
States that relation is or may be suspended or
disturbed; that is my purpose on the next meet
ing of Congress to again recommend the adop-
ton of practical measure tending pecuniary aid
for the free acceptance or rejection of all the
not then be in rebellion against the United States
and which States may then have voluntarily
adopted or thereafter may voluntarily adopt the
immediate or gradual abolishment of slavery
within their respective limits, and that the efforts
to colonize persons of African descent upon the
continent or elsewhere with the previously OBJ
tanned consent of the Governments existing there,
will be continued
That on the first Gay of January, in the year
of our Lord, 1868, all persons held as slaves
within any State, or any designated parts of a
State, the people whereof shall then be in rebel
lion against the United States, shall then be
thenceforward and forever FREE, and the Execu-
tive Government of the United States, including
the military and naval authority thereof, will re-
cognize and maintain the freedom of such per-
sons and will do no act or acts to repress such
persons, or any of them, in the efforts fhey may
make for their actual freedom.
That the Executive will, on the 1st day of Jan
uary aforesaid, by proclamation designate the
States and parts of States in which the people
thereof respectively shall then be in rebellion
against the United States, and the fact that any
State or the people thereof shall on that day be
in good faith represented in the Congress of the
United States, by members chosen thereto at
voters of such State shall have participated, shall
in the absence of strong countervailing testimo-
ny, be deemed conclusive evidence that such
State and the people thereof have not been in re-
UellOH against tue Oulteu Otdles
That attention is hereby called to an Act of
Congress entitled "An act to make an additional
article of war;" approved March 13, 1852, act
is in the words and figures following:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House OF
Representatives of the United States in Con-
gress assembled that hereafter the following
shall be promulgated as an additional article Of
war for the government of the United States
army, and shall be obeyed and observed as
such
Art. 1st. All officers or persons in the militia
ry and naval service Of the United States, are
prohibited from employing any of the forces un-
der the. respective commands for the purpose o
returning fugitives from service or labor who may
have escaped from any person, to whom such ser
vice or labor is claimed to be due, and any officer
who shall be found guilty by court-martial o
violating this article, shall be dismissed from the
service
Art I'd. And be it further enacted, That thi'
act shall take efec from and after its passage.
Also, to the 9th and 10th section of an act en-
titled an act to suppress insurrection and to pun
ish treason and rebellion; to seize and confscat'
the property of rebels, and other purposes ap
proved July 18th, 1862, and which sections arr
in the words and figures following:
"Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That al
slaves of persons who shall hereafter he engaged
in rebellion against the Government of the Uni
ted States, or who shall in any way give aid o
comfort thereto, and escaping from such person
and taking refuge within the lines of the army
and all slaves captured from such persons, or de
serted by them and coming under the control O
the Government of the United Srates and al
slaves of such persons on or being within an
place occupied by the forces of the United States
shall be deemed captives of war, and shall b
forever free of their serviude and not again serv
as slaves
Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That n
slave escaping into any slave Territory or tn
District of Columbia, from any of the States
shall be delivered up, or in any way impeded o
Kindred of his liberty, except for crime or som
offense against the law, unless the person claim
ing said fugitive shall first make oath that tn
person to whom the labor or servitude of suc
fugitive is alleged to be due is his lawful owner
and has not been in arms against the Unite
States in the present rebellion, nor in any wa
given aid or comforts and no person engaged i
the military or naval service of the United States
shall, under any pretense whatever, assume to de
eide on the validity of the claim of any person t
the service or labor of any other person, or SUI
render up any such person to the claimant, o
pain of being dismissed from the service"
And do hereby enjoin upon and order all pei