History glossary
Emancipation
the freeing of enslaved people or oppressed groups from legal control.
- Category
- Legal and social process
What it means
Emancipation in the American Civil War refers especially to the process by which slavery was destroyed, including Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment. Freedom did not automatically bring equality, safety, land, or political rights.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Soviets
From revolution to superpower, the Soviet Union rose, struggled internally, and collapsed in 1991.
The American Civil War and the Abolition of Slavery
The American Civil War determined the survival of the Union and led to the abolition of slavery, fundamentally reshaping the United States.
The Civil Rights Movement
From school desegregation to Montgomery, Selma and Memphis, organised communities challenged racial exclusion and transformed American democracy.
