Of the nation's 4 million slaves about 400 thousand lived in the five Border States of Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky & Missouri.
Of those, fewer than 20,000 lived in West Virginia, about 5% of its total population.
Of those Border States, West Virginia was the third to free its slaves (after Maryland & Missouri) in early 1865, nearly a year before ratification of the 13th Amendment.
But the original 1863 plan for gradual abolition -- the Willey Plan -- was consistent with earlier abolition plans of other northern states, which is why it was approved.
So, what jeffersondem's posts draw attention to is the shift in Northern public feelings regarding slavery from the war's beginning in 1861, to time of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, to the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865.
It began mainly as a war against Southern rebellion but ended, at least in Northern minds, as a war to free the slaves -- just as we were taught in school.
Except for jeffersondem, who learned something very different and now just can't get over it.
What makes you think jeffersondem et al. will listen to you, when they won’t even listen to the leaders of the Confederacy, who told everyone at the time that they were seceding from the Union in order to preserve slavery?
“It began mainly as a war against Southern rebellion but ended, at least in Northern minds, as a war to free the slaves — just as we were taught in school.”
It began mainly as a war against Southern rebellion but ended, at least in Northern minds, as a war to free the slaves — just as we were taught in government schools.
There. Fixed it for you.