The Change They Wished to See

In class before spring break, we studied 4 Lincoln documents and watched a Ken Burns video in order to answer the questions; Who 'gave' freedom to enslaved Americans? Did freedom come from above or below? To what extent were Abraham Lincoln's actions influenced by the actions of enslaved Americans?   The "above" group consisted of the higher-class Americans, the small population of wealthy people, and the "below" group referred to the large population of lower-class Americans, like slaves and the less wealthy people.  

In president Abraham Lincoln's open letter,  he says "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that."  In this case, freedom would be coming from above, from the most powerful American at the time.  Although Lincoln did not blatantly say that he 100% wanted to free the slaves, he hinted at his opinion.  

In an 1862 letter from General Ambrose E. Burnside to Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, freedom seems to come from below.  Ambrose is telling Stanton about how his city is "being overrun with fugitives from surrounding towns and plantations", who are putting pressure on pro-slave advocates.  The "below" group is seen here taking control of their problems, and provoking a change for themselves.  

For our last activity, we created a linear graph to show who stirred up change in different events and documents.  I think that the "below" group had a stronger effect on ending slavery, because they were more passionate and made their points more personal.  

A Photo of My Group's Linear Graph