The Emancipation Proclamation changed Canada, too

One hundred and fifty years ago this month, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. With that signature, millions of people who had been property became human. The Declaration of Independence had stated that all men were created equal, but the Emancipation Proclamation transformed that idea to fact. It led to the 13th amendment, which permanently abolished slavery throughout the United States and in so doing advanced the cause of liberty for all. But the Emancipation Proclamation meant even more for Canada.

Before the Civil War’s first shots were fired in April 1861, Lincoln had stated that his only goal was to preserve the Union. He later explained that he would pursue that goal if it meant freeing some, all or none of the slaves. As the war’s costs and casualties mounted and his fragile alliance of abolitionists and northern Democrats frayed, however, Lincoln realized that the war must be about something greater. In the summer of 1862 the president told his incredulous cabinet that he wanted to free slaves in states still in rebellion. He spoke of military expediency. Freeing slaves would allow the creation of so-called “coloured” regiments that would bolster the North’s faltering recruitment efforts. It would cause havoc in the South as even more slaves were inspired to escape bondage. Further, the Proclamation would dissuade Britain from offering aid and diplomatic recognition to the Confederacy. After having banned slavery decades before, it could hardly be seen supporting that institution in a war now so clearly about good versus evil.

Lincoln was persuaded to postpone announcing the Emancipation Proclamation until a Union victory so that it would not appear to be an act of military desperation. When Lee’s Confederates were repulsed at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln had the victory he needed. He publicly announced that he would sign the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

Northern abolitionists and radical Republicans applauded. Britain initially reacted with skepticism but then responded as Lincoln had hoped. The South, not surprisingly, exploded with rage. There was also consternation among many in the North. Editorials attacked Lincoln for changing the aim of the war arguing, quite rightly, that it had never been about abolition. Hundreds of Union soldiers deserted. Lincoln’s commanding general George McClellan was advised to stage a coup.

Meanwhile, newspaper editorials throughout Canada and the Maritimes were unanimous in their praise. The Emancipation Proclamation’s announcement and its official adoption 100 days later spurred a new wave of Canadians and Maritimers to cross the border and join the thousands of their countrymen who had already enlisted. Among them were slaves who had escaped via the Underground Railroad but returned to serve as men. Approximately 40,000 Canadians and Maritimers served in the Civil War. They fought in every major battle and 29 won Congressional Medals of honour.

The American Civil War was a Canadian war. Canada’s allowing Confederates to operate openly in Toronto and Montreal and offering safe harbour to Confederate ships in Halifax and St. John infuriated the Americans. Several events nearly led Lincoln’s troops to invade. Thousands of British troops and Canadian and Maritime militia stood guard in augmented border fortifications. The Great Lakes were remilitarized.

The legitimate fear of American attack or annexation grew more acute with the Emancipation Proclamation because it was, as Lincoln expected, a boon to his cause. Six months after its enactment, the Confederacy was broke and nearly broken. Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg altered the war’s trajectory as surely as the Proclamation had recalibrated its moral imperative. Canadian political leaders knew in July what they had felt in January — Canada needed to invent itself to save itself. Confederation had become essential.

Abraham Lincoln understood the importance of what he had done. Upon affixing his signature to the Emancipation Proclamation he said, “If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act.” We owe it to ourselves to pause and reflect upon the Emancipation Proclamation’s 150th anniversary for the milestone it represents in the evolution of mankind’s freedom and for the role it played in the rebirth of the American nation, and the creation of our own.