[grania]

I was taught that Lincoln didn't free any slaves. His proclamation was that slaves in the states that joined the Confederacy were declared free. As with most wars, the Civil War wasn't about freeing anyone, it was about economics and acquiring resources.

Another interesting aspect is that southern slaveholders could come north and reclaim slaves for a finders fee. I don't know that all states allowed it, but at least some did. OH was one that did. So, should we take down the flags of all states that allowed this practice?

This is one reason why Cleveland has such a large, long-established black community. Slaves would follow the Cuyahoga River freedom trail, hiding, with the goal of reaching Canada. They'd get as far as Cleveland, but not have the means to cross Lake Erie to get to Canada.

This whole thing about removing any remnants of our history is deeply disturbing. First of all, because diverting attention to the Confederate flag took away a moment when US citizens were coming together in grief and outrage. Secondly, this is what is done when an entity wants to take over the hearts and minds of the people and destroy their freedoms....it erases all reference to their historic and cultural heritage.

[Sherman Logan]

I was taught that Lincoln didn't free any slaves. His proclamation was that slaves in the states that joined the Confederacy were declared free.

You were taught wrong.

The Emancipation Proclamation immediately freed 50k to 75k slaves in areas occupied by the Union Army but not specifically excluded in the EP.

As the Union Army advanced for the rest of the War, the EP was made effective in the areas occupied.

In the final analysis, the vast majority of slaves, something well over 3M, were freed by the EP. It didn't become fully effective everywhere on the day it was promulgated, since it had to be enforced.

But then our Declaration of Independence wasn't fully effective on July 4, 1776, either. Was it?