"[Because of the Emancipation Proclamation] the condition of things [became] … unsettled, revolutionary, with nothing clearly defined, neither slave nor slaveholder having any rights which they felt bound mutually to respect … Slave property in the state of Missouri was almost a dead weight to the owner; he could not sell because there were no buyers."—H.C. Bruce, a former slave in Missouri What does this excerpt suggest about the effects of the Emancipation Proclamation? a. It also undermined slavery in the border states despite not being in effect there.b. It caused complete disintegration of southern society in the states that seceded.c. It led to slave owners not even trying to stop their slaves from leaving the farms.d. It prevented riots or chaos as both owners and slaves simply ignored each other.
Advanced Placement (AP) · High School · Mon Jan 18 2021
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The excerpt suggests that:
a. It also undermined slavery in the border states despite not being in effect there.
The mention of the condition becoming "unsettled" and "revolutionary" and the statement that "slave property in the state of Missouri was almost a dead weight to the owner" implies that the Emancipation Proclamation had effects beyond the states where it was directly applicable. The Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln during the Civil War, declared that all slaves in Confederate-held territory were to be set free. While it did not immediately free all slaves, it had significant symbolic and practical effects, influencing the dynamics of slavery and prompting changes in the relationship between slaves and slaveholders, even in states not directly affected by the proclamation.