History

U.S. Census Bureau History: The Emancipation Proclamation

President Abraham Lincoln at Antietam, MD,
October 3, 1862. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, freeing all slaves in Confederate territory. After discussing the idea with his cabinet in July 1862, Lincoln waited for a strong Union victory in the Civil War before announcing his decision to free all slaves. In September 1862, Union troops prevented a Confederate invasion of Maryland at the Battle of Antietam, providing Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

Although the importation of slaves into the United States had been banned in January 1808, slavery was not abolished until the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 1865. Below are a few facts from the U.S. Census Bureau concerning the Civil War and emancipation:

• The 1850 Census recorded 3.2 million slaves in the United States. By 1860 there were nearly 4 million slaves in the nation, 89 percent of whom lived in states that became part of the Confederacy.
• Between 1850 and 1860, 3,000 slaves were freed by slave owners. During the decade, the number of slaves gaining freedom decreased in Delaware and Florida but increased in seven states: Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
• The total number of people who escaped from slavery decreased between 1850 and 1860. However, the number of escapes increased in Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia.
• Approximately 550,000 Blacks lived in Viriginia in 1860, inlcuding 490,000 slaves. By 1870, the Black population in Virginia had declined by 6.5 percent, including 3 percent residing in the new state of West Virginia.