e” (Majewski, pg. 86). People likeFrederick Douglas were one the key reasons for theemancipation of slaves. He was educating not only hisfellow Negroes, but the Northerners as well.Finally, there was the Civil War. The civil war was themost important factor deciding the issue of slavery, Lincolncannot be called the “Great Emancipator” because he had nodirect control over the soldiers that fought the battles. It is also important to understand that many fugitive slavesbegan to fight on the Northerner side. Slaves were willingand able to put their lives on the line for freedom. Thecivil war determined the issue of slavery. What would havehappened if the South had been victorious? The union wouldhave permanently been divided and slavery would probablystill exist today. No matter all the ideologies thatLincoln believed in, he was not the “Great Emancipator.” Asouthern victory would have left him powerless and hisEmancipation Proclamation would have been void.Lincoln cannot be called the “Great Emancipator” becausehis ideologies were conflicting with his true intentions. In pursuing the presidency, he gave conflicting beliefsabout slavery to attain the necessary votes to elect him tooffice. Then, once the Civil War began, he was merelytrying to preserve what was left of an unstable union. Thetrue “Emancipators” of slavery lie in the grass roots peopleof that time, the abolitionists, Frederick Douglas, and theslaves themselves. The slaves earned their freedom. Lincoln was merely a man who let the events of his eradetermine his policy. “I claim not to have controlled events but confess plainly that events controlled me.”...
