Grade 8
The emancipation of four million slaves during the Civil War was the single most revolutionary social transformation in American history. This course considers the complex process that took several generations to complete, from the American Revolution to Reconstruction, including the “first emancipation” during the American Revolution, the growth of an antislavery movement committed to ending slavery through federal policies, the implementation of these policies and their aftermath during Reconstruction, and the social history of emancipation. This course considers not only the policymakers in Washington, but the role of slaves and Union soldiers in the wartime emancipation process, the obstacles to emancipation, and the postwar struggle to secure freedom and expand its meaning.