July 22, 1862: President Abraham Lincoln informed his cabinet that he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves. But ending slavery wasn’t Lincoln's priority. He hoped it would result in blacks fleeing the South and joining the Union army, thus weakening the South.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeoverspeed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Marya E. Gates' 6 favorite books about women filmmakers and directorsFeature The film writer recommends works by Julie Dash, Sofia Coppola, and more
-
Donald Trump's jumbo-sized corruption | May 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday's editorial cartoons feature artificial intelligence, Democratic attempts to reach rural voters, a tariff deal with Xi Jinping, the U.S. economy, tariffs, and habeas corpus.
