The Emancipation
Proclamation: a speech that was given in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. We know the
Emancipation Proclamation as a major point in Lincoln’s presidency. We also think
it gave freedom to all African-American slaves, and it abolished slavery in the
future. But perhaps we lose sight of the truth because the Official Style is so
prominent in the Emancipation Proclamation. In the 1800s, people spoke more
officially than people speak now in the 2000s. However, this document is
especially Official, compared to informal letters in the later 1800s that I
researched. There is plenty of important historical context surrounding the
Emancipation Proclamation that helps us to understand why Lincoln chose to sign
this Official Style document into law.
Regardless of Lincoln’s exact motives, I’m going to argue that Lincoln
used Official Style characteristics, such as scesis onomaton, sentential
adverbs, and lengthy, complex sentences to gain authority and trust from the
newly freed slaves and also the constituents of Lincoln’s side in the Civil
War, the North.
First
of all, it’s important to explain the historical context behind the
Emancipation Proclamation. With a little research, you can find this document
was created in the midst of the Civil War, and Lincoln was under a lot of
pressure. The nation was divided, and southern states were seceding.
Interestingly enough, it is often believed by historians that Lincoln was
actually a racist. Why would Lincoln free slaves if he was in fact a racist?
And even if he was not a racist, why would he make such a controversial
decision? As USA Today describes, “It
was the product of a most difficult decision by a most complex president during
a most crucial conflict. It ordered the largest single confiscation of private
property in U.S. history.” They go on to suggest, “[The Emancipation
Proclamation] ensured Lincoln his spot in the American pantheon.” Did Lincoln
do it for the recognition? Did he do it because it was the morally right
choice? We will never truly know the answer to why Lincoln decided to sign this
into law to end slavery.
It is important to acknowledge two not very
well-known details about the Emancipation Proclamation. First of all, this
proclamation did not free all slaves. It only freed slaves in states that had
seceded from the Union. Directly from the Proclamation, Abraham announces all
states in which slaves are emancipated and he mentions, “ Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard,
Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption,
Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of
New Orleans).” Those exceptions prove that not all slaves were given freedom. A
second detail is that the Emancipation Proclamation did not exactly give
freedom to African-Americans. As history shows, African-Americans were still
oppressed and not given full freedom until the later half of the 19th
century. If people had been able to know these two facts when Lincoln issued
this proclamation, many might have viewed it as a pointless law. Therefore,
Lincoln had to cover up these details without lying in a legal document, while
also creating a trustworthy, authoritative image of himself for the newly
“freed slaves”, who were probably not that educated, and for his previous
constituents. This is where the Official Style comes into play.
The Official Style
characteristic I see the most in this document is scesis onomaton, emphasis
through constant repetition of words. After the narrative introduction, the
first paragraph starts, “That on the first day
of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three,
all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the
people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States,”
The second paragraph then starts, “That
the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation,
designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof,
respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the
fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good
faith, represented in the Congress of the United States” These two sentences
are practically identical. They express almost the exact same idea, except at
the end of sentence one, Lincoln issues freedom, and at the end of sentence
two, Lincoln issues legal protection.
The third paragraph, also goes on to state nearly
the same thing, “On this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to
do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day
first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States
wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the
United States, the following…” The exception here is at the end of this sentence;
Lincoln announces all the specific states where slaves will be freed. In all
three of these examples, the same long phrases are used as emphasis. With
emphasis on the day, month year, Lincoln’s duty, etc., the newly proclaimed
information gets hidden at the end of the sentence. I argue that people get lost in the time it
takes him to introduce each new law, legal protection, freedom, and freedom in certain
states for former slaves.
A second trait of the Emancipation
Proclamation that screams Official Style is the sentential adverbs. This
document is loaded with words used just for fillers. The first word of the
document is “Whereas”, and this sets the tone for the rest of it. Throughout
Lincoln’s speech we hear all of the following sentential adverbs: therefore,
aforeword, henceworth, thereof, hereby, whereof, hereunto, wherein, thereto,
and thenceforward. I’m not sure I understand some of these words… Henceworth?
Thenceforward? If I can’t understand these long, combined words, how might the
average slave or even average citizen member be able to thoroughly understand
this proclamation with every few words being a sentential adverb. These adverbs
are definitely filler words… words Lincoln used to distract his audience-the
likely uneducated, newly freed slaves and people of the North- and also create
an image that would make Lincoln seem smart, and therefore trustworthy,
especially to the majorly uneducated former slaves.
A third Official Style aspect found
in this document is the sheer length and complexity of sentences. There are
only 9 sentences in the Emancipation Proclamation, and there are
697 words. That averages out to 77 words per sentence! These sentences are too
loaded and wordy for common citizens to follow without losing focus. Each
sentence is fully clad with semi colons, colons, comma, dashes, and everything
of the like that could possibly extend a sentence. This is the longest sentence
throughout the whole document:
“Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln,
President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as
Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual
armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and
as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this
first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for
the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order
and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof
respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the
following, to wit:
Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the
Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St.
James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and
Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight
counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley,
Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk,
including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts,
are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.”
That sentence is 218
words long. How is anyone supposed to follow a sentence this long without
becoming distracted? Not only do these long sentences make Lincoln sound extremely
smart to the average person, but the length and complexity of these sentences
hide the fact that in this one sentence, Lincoln admits that not all slaves
will be freed. Only slaves in those listed states were freed. However,
Lincoln’s supporters and the freed slaves in this time period would likely
think Lincoln is smart and he abolished slavery, so he is kind- therefore,
trustworthy.
Through the long, complex sentences,
sentential adverbs, and scesis onomaton it is evident to me that Lincoln was using
the Official Style to gain authority, trust, and recognition. He persuade his
constituents, including the newly freed slaves, to support him enough to
re-elect him in the next, and we all know the Emancipation Proclamation exists
as major point in U.S. history. I believe this was Lincoln’s goal and he
succeeded well.
A
copy of the Emancipation Proclamation can be accessed here:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/transcript.html
Information cited from the USA Today article can be accessed here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/25/lincolns-emancipation-move-still-sparks-debate/1791025/
By: Cody Fortney
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