American Documents: The Emancipation Proclamation - Hardcover

McComb, Marianne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0792279166 ISBN 13: 9780792279167

Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books, 2005

Synopsis

This book describes the roots of slavery in the United States, and examines the reasons why certain people and states were for it, while others were opposed to it. It also explains why President Lincoln issued the proclamation when he did, whom the proclamation freed, and whom it did not, and some of the effects it had on future events. Readers learn about the differences between northern and southern economies, how slavery became a states rights issue, how Congress struggled to maintain a balance between free and slave states, and how Lincoln's election forced 11 southern states to leave the Union and hastened the beginning of the Civil War.


Includes the full text of the Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and portions of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.

About this title

About the Author

Marianne McComb is a writer and editor with over 50 children's books to her credit. A graduate of Miami University and the University of Chicago, she now lives in Bucks County, PA.

Reviews

Gr. 4-7. This title from the American Documents series focuses on Lincoln's first foray into abolitionism. Many students may not realize that the Emancipation Proclamation didn't end slavery or that Lincoln entered the Civil War to preserve the Union, not necessarily to free slaves. Using a straightforward tone, McComb clearly outlines what the Emancipation Proclamation did (freed slaves in Confederate states) and did not do (end slavery, or free slaves in any state that did not join the Confederacy). Background about slavery and the Civil War provides context for the discussion of the document, and the evolution of Lincoln's thinking about whether and how to end slavery rounds out the account. The differences between the North and the South that precipitated the war are oversimplified, but this volume will still be useful for researching the document itself, and the design, which features archival photos and illustrations in color and black and white, adds appeal. A glossary and full texts of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, and Amendments XIII through XV are appended. Other books in the series include The Mayflower Compact and The Bill of Rights. Diane Foote
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Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0792279166
• ISBN 13: 9780792279167
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 48