"Southerners were stunned when blacks voted for freedom with their feet in the third year of the war. One of the intellectual underpinnings of slavery was a fantasy that happy-go-lucky African-Americans were content to toil for others' benefit."
Not actually. Slaves had been running away to freedom for as long as slavery existed. Otherwise three would have been no need for Fugitave Slave laws.
And, slipping over to the camp of Northern soldiers was not always a great thing as they were often as racist as their Southern counterparts. Some refused to feed them or give medical care
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed slaves who were not under control of the Union, somewhat negating it. It also made it impossible for France and England to recognize the Confederacy, something the Southern states were greatly counting on. As such, the proclamation has to be ranked with one of the greatest political moves ever.
Even the 13th Amendment did not pave the way to good times for ex-slaves. By 1876, Southern states were enacting Jim Crow laws which mandated segregation were designed to keep blacks down. This led to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Old Secesh
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