The Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation is the Presidential Executive Order signed by President Abraham Lincoln (Republican March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865) on January 1, 1863 in which the slaves in the rebelling states (And only in the rebelling states.) were given their freedom.  States in the slave-holding border states of Missouri, Maryland, West Virginia or Delaware, which had never declared a secession were not covered by this Executive Order and were freed by State and Federal Law.

The original of the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, is in the National Archives in Washington, DC. With the text covering five pages the document was originally tied with narrow red and blue ribbons, which were attached to the signature page by a wafered impression of the seal of the United States. Most of the ribbon remains; parts of the seal are still decipherable, but other parts have worn off.

The document was bound with other proclamations in a large volume preserved for many years by the Department of State. When it was prepared for binding, it was reinforced with strips along the center folds and then mounted on a still larger sheet of heavy paper. Written in red ink on the upper right-hand corner of this large sheet is the number of the Proclamation, 95, given to it by the Department of State long after it was signed. With other records, the volume containing the Emancipation Proclamation was transferred in 1936 from the Department of State to the National Archives of the United States.

By the President of the United States of America:


A Proclamation.

Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:

"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

"That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States."

Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:

Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, (except the forty-eight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.

And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.

And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.

By the President: ABRAHAM LINCOLN
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.

Simple words that changed the tone and the course of the Civil War.  By signing this document, Lincoln signaled to the world, specifically to Great Britain and France, that to support the Confederacy was to support slavery.  A concept that both of those nations rejected many years earlier.  Although Great Britain was poised to recognize The Confederate States of America, it was unable to reconcile slavery with the British concept of freedom that was ingrained upon the English.  Without international recognition the Confederacy was not able to raise the needed capital necessarily to import the goods which were needed to equip an army.  Without said equipment it would be only a matter of time before the South's logistical problems would be too severe for them to fight effectively.  In effect with this bold stroke, Lincoln effectively knocked out the South without firing a round.  All this while the North was just holding their own, even losing a few battles, and having trouble retaining and recruiting troops for the field.  Soon after this, the first Black Regiments were formed eventually adding 180,000 troops to the Union's strength.

Lincoln took one of the boldest political steps of his life when he signed The Emancipation Proclamation. 

Wednesday's Hero: Lt. Wilson W. Brown

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Michael



 Lt. Wilson W. Brown
Company F, 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Dec. 25, 1839 - Dec. 26, 1916

Private Wilson W. Brown was part of "The Great Locomotive Chase" or Andrews' Raid. It was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army commandeered a train and took it northwards toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A) from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga as they went, pursued by other locomotives. Because they had cut the telegraph wires, no warning could be sent to Confederate forces along their route. The raiders were eventually captured and some were executed as spies. Some of Andrews' Raiders became the first recipients of the Medal of Honor, including Pvt. Wilson Brown who was able to escape and later promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. His citation read:

"One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of Gen. Mitchell (or Buell), penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta".

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Kill the Protesters!

That is the cry from Ayatollah Mehyaddin Haeri Shirazi on Iran Television recently in a live interview.  (View it here.)

In a live interview broadcast on the Islamic Republic's national television station sometime within the last two weeks, Ayatollah Mehyaddin Haeri Shirazi described a Communist protest movement from the early years of the Islamic Republic, noting how it was effectively crushed by the authorities. The government targeted opposition activists, he said, "arrested them in the afternoon and the same night announced the names of 30 people killed or executed by the government forces."

In reaction to the arrests and killings, Shirazi continued, "nothing happened. Why? Because they killed them."

Expanding on what he sees as the lesson from those events, the ayatollah said,"The more of them [the opposition] are killed, the more beneficial [to the people]. If the armed forces kill some of them, it is to our benefit."

On the other hand, Shirazi continued, "When they are arrested, it is bad [for public opinion], when they are captured [it is bad for public opinion]. Do not make victims out of them."

Killing the opposition protesters, the ayatollah insists, "is sanctioned by obedience to Allah and the prophet and is handed down to the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Khamenei]. When it is sanctioned by such a power, there is no need to go through the government powers."

Shirazi warned the opposition forces, "Do not look upon the Supreme Leader [simply] as a person with a soft turban on his head, and that you can beat him. His support comes from the Hidden Imam Mahdi, he [Khamenei] is made of iron. It will come back down to break your own heads."

Perhaps in reaction to the increasing levels of violence by government forces, on December 26 a previously unknown anti-regime group calling itself the National Iranian Armed Resistance Forces (NIRU) "declare our readiness to rise to the armed defense of our nation against the forces of the criminal, illegitimate, transgressing and occupying current Government of Iran...." The group "accuses the current government and the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Mr. Sayyed Ali Khamenei of legal transgressions and high treason of nation and homeland."

NIRU claims to be made up of "a number of officers, soldiers and personnel of the armed forces", calling for "support" and "cover... in this moral and nationalist act" from "our brothers and sisters serving with the armed security forces of Iran...."

Iranian pro-democracy activists in contact with Israel National News said they are hesitant to believe in the authenticity of the organization until there is some external evidence of its activities beyond email and Web postings.

The first of two NIRU communiques, headed with praise for the Islamic god Allah, explained: "In accordance with the regulations of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are commissioned to protect the lives, properties and honor of our nation, and defend our sacred soil, as well as combat all occupying forces within the borders of the land. Any failure in carrying out this duty is considered a betrayal of nation and oath. According to the constitution, the defense of the rights of the nation of Iran, and avoidance of the collapse of the country takes precedence over protection of the ruling regime."

The group announced "the initiation of Operation Azadi ('Freedom')," which they said will end upon "unconditional surrender of the occupying government and leadership." The operation, the NIRU communique said, will involve taking control of military bases, taking over government buildings, arrest of "government-supporting agents within your units", "seizing... military and public communication facilities, as well as other news media", "combat mission[s] at the regional level, and expanding", and more.

Read the full story here.

Ayatollah Mehyaddin Haeri Shirazi has a wonderful nickname in Iran:  Land Thief.  For he has stolen thousands of acres of land in Shiraz and became a billionaire doing it.  So he is scared of what will happen to him if Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs are overthrown.

If the National Iranian Armed Resistance Forces (NIAR) is an actual group of resistane and not a front group set up by the Iranian government to destroy the Green Revolution, then it brings a whole new dynami to the Iranian equation.  For then the world will have an Iran in a very bloody civil war. Waged on one side by the Mullahs and the Revolutionary Guard, on the other side by the Protesters and the regular army.

The side that is victorious in this will become stronger than ever, the losers will be executed.  Thus is the way with despots.

Now is the time for the leaders of the Free World to speak up and be heard.  To speak words of encouragement to the people of Iran longing for Freedom, Justice and Liberty.  For the people of Iran who wish to throw off the tyrant who has destroyed their nation (physically and spiritually).  And still, President Obama says nothing.  His silence on this is deafening.

This is not the time to be silent Mr. President.  It is the time for you to stand up and speak to the people of Iran.  Not the Mullahs or Ahmadinejad.  The people who are fighting for the Freedom and Liberty that you take for granted.

The Iranin government has rejected your hand of friendship.  Now is the time for you to end your vacation, and become the Leader of the Free World.  If you fail on this, and the people of Iran are resubjegated into the slavery and despair that they have lived under these last 30 years, the verdict of history will be damning of you.  Your legacy will be one of incompetence and stupidity.  You will have shown the world that you are nothing more than a 2-bit street hustler who made it big!

Has Hezbollah Bitten Off More Than It Can Chew?

Beirut, was once called the Paris of the Arab World . A city that was cosmopolitan, vibrant and dynamic. A city that was once renowned for its press, theaters and cultural activities. A city that was the intellectual capital of the Arab world and a major commercial and tourist center until 1975 when civil war broke out. This once jewel is now in flames.

The last time Beirut was in flames was during the Second Lebanese War in 2006. Then the IAF flew hundreds of sorties over Beirut, destroying Hezbollah targets, and causing major damage to Beirut's infrastructure.

This time the destruction is being caused by Hezbollah in an attempt to wrest control of the Lebanese government.

Hezbollah first emerged during the Lebanese Civil War in the early 1980s as a militia of Shia followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini, trained, organized and funded by a contingent of Iranian Revolutionary Guard. In its 1985 manifesto Hezbollah listed its three main goals as the eradication of Western colonialism in Lebanon, the bringing to justice of those who committed atrocities during the war (specifically the Phalangists), and the establishment of an Islamic government in Lebanon.


Hezbollah has popular support in Shi'a Lebanese society and has mobilized demonstrations of hundreds of thousands. Hezbollah receives its financial support mainly from the donations of Lebanese Shi’ites. "According to frequent accounts in the western press, the group also receives considerable support from Iran and Syria", UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says. Syria openly supports and helps Hezbollah.

It was Hezbollah that was responsible for the 1983 US Embassy Bombing in Beirut. A total of 63 people were killed in the bombing: 32 Lebanese employees, 17 Americans, and 14 visitors and passersby. Of the American dead, eight worked for the Central Intelligence Agency including the CIA's top Middle East analyst and Near East director, Robert Ames, and the entire Middle East contingent of the CIA. An additional 120 or so people were wounded in the bombing.

It was Hezbollah that was responsible for the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombings. In the attack on the American barracks, the death toll was 241 American servicemen: 220 Marines, 18 Navy personnel and 3 Army soldiers. Sixty Americans were injured. In the attack on the French barracks, 58 paratroopers were killed and 15 injured, in the single worst military loss for France since the end of the Algerian war.

Hezbollah was responsible for the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, the 1994 attack on a Jewish Center in Argentina, the hijacking of TWA flight 847 in 1985, numerous kidnappings, torture of prisoners, and attacks on Israel and Israeli civilians.

Hezbollah has not revealed its armed strength. It has been estimated that Hezbollah's military force is made up of about 1,000 full-time Hezbollah members, along with a further 6,000-10,000 volunteers.

Hezbollah organizes extensive social development programs, running hospitals, news services, and educational facilities. Social services have a central role in the party's programs. Most experts believe that Hezbollah's social and health programs are worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Thus they attempt to show to the Muslim population of Lebanon their kinder, gentler side.

Hezbollah was one of the major parties of the March 8 Alliance. This was formed in opposition to the Cedar Revolution that forced the withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon. Hezbollah had joined the new government in 2005. In 2006 it demanded a national unity government in which they demanded early elections and one third of the Cabinet seats; effectively, veto power. When negotiations with the ruling coalition failed, five Cabinet Ministers from Hezbollah and Amal resigned their positions.
Hezbollah operates a satellite television station, al-Manar (The Beacon), a radio station al-Nour (The Light) and its own telephone network.

Now you ask what has caused today's temper tantrum.


A Lebanese government decision to declare Hizbullah's telecommunications network illegal amounts to a "declaration of war," the organization's leader Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday.

The US-backed government on Tuesday declared the military telecommunications network illegal and said it was a threat to state security. The government also said it would dismiss the security chief of the country's only international airport because he was suspected of ties to Iranian - and Syrian - Hizbullah.

Nasrallah vowed to fight any attempts to disarm Hizbullah members saying: "Those who try to arrest us, we will arrest them. Those who shoot at us, we will shoot at them. The hand raised against us, we will cut it off."

"The decision is tantamount to a declaration of war ... on the resistance and its weapons in the interest of America and Israel," Nasrallah said.

He offered a way out of latest crisis, saying the "illegitimate" government must revoke its decisions against Hezbollah.

He said the telecommunications network was "the most important part of the weapons of the resistance" and added Hizbullah had a duty to defend those weapons.

"I am not declaring war. I am declaring a decision of self-defense," he said. The government has "crossed all the red lines. We will not be lenient with anyone."

Nasrallah who commands Hezbollah from the safety and security of Damascus, who sends his children to school in England, cries foul when the Lebanese government finally start to crack down on them.

Hezbollah wants one thing. Total control of Lebanon. To create an Islamic Republic of Lebanon. This state would give Hezbollah total control of the Lebanese military. Its tanks, artillery, and planes. It would give Iran a puppet state on Israel's northern border, to match the puppet state now on Israel's southern border in Gaza.

With 2 puppet states so close to Israel, there would be nothing to stop Iran from attacking Israel either directly, through their proxies or both. A nightmare scenario of an nuclear attack from Iran compounded with attacks from both Lebanon and Gaza.

Hezbollah claimed victory after 2006, saying that it defeated Israel and won that war. Israel's response was the Winograd Commission. Its finding shook the IDF to its core and forced the IDF to make drastic changes to its training programs. The IDF of today is not the one that Hezbollah faced in 2006. It has corrected the mistakes it made.

While the upcoming scenario for the next Lebanese/Israeli war is not yet written, this recent outbreak of violence in Lebanon does make it more inevitable if Hezbollah would seize control of the Lebanese government.

Related stories:

Sunni Backers of Lebanese Government Trade Gunfire
Gunbattles Break Out in Beirut