The Emancipation Proclamation as a Primary Source

Start with the abolitionist profile cards and the Tubman chain. Move to the Proclamation and the crossword, then finish with the emancipation timeline.

Read excerpts of the Emancipation Proclamation and explain which places it covered and why. The directions on the page read: Read the excerpts, words to know and source note. You will use them on page 2. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 8th grade Slavery and Abolition, and it works the same at home or at school. At home, a student can work through it alone and then go over it with you, which shows quickly what is solid and what needs another look. In class it works as independent practice, homework or a warm-up, and you can print one copy or a full set.

Issued January 1, 1863, it declared enslaved people freed only in areas in rebellion against the United States. It also opened the armed service to formerly enslaved men, and the freedom it promised depended on the Union army.

According to the National Park Service, from 1850 to 1860 she made 13 trips to Maryland's Eastern Shore and guided more than 70 people to freedom. Few records exist, so such numbers are estimates.

In May 1861 three enslaved men escaped to the Union army at Fort Monroe, Virginia. General Benjamin Butler refused to return them, calling them contraband of war, enemy property that could be seized.