When Were the First Slaves Set Free during the Civil War?: And Other Questions about the Emancipation Proclamation

Six Questions of American History

by Shannon Knudsen

When Abraham Lincoln became president in March 1861, the United States was on the brink of the Civil War. Six states had already left the Union. The North and the South fought over the question of slavery. More than anything, Lincoln wanted to reunite the states. He refused to recognize the Confederacy as a separate country. Yet the Constitution didn’t give the president the power to end slavery. But what could Lincoln do by law? Why was slavery so important to the southern states? How would Lincoln manage to keep the Union together? Discover the clever plan behind Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and learn how it freed the first slaves.

48 pages, Library Binding

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

This author also writes as Shannon Zemlicka.

Reviews

[Duane]

If you're needing a great resource book on the history of slavery and why the Civil War happened, this is the book for your collection! Filled with great photographs and illustrations, young readers will get the real facts and dates that made such a terrible tragedy as slavery. A great book to add to your juvenile non fiction collection.

[Alexis]

This book is not nearly as good as other books in this series. It doesn't show quite as much nuance in discussing slavery as many other books in this series. I do, however, think it discussed the economics in a way that makes sense to children.