Evaluate the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) on the outcome of the Civil War.

The question requires that candidates make an appraisal of the Emancipation Proclamation, weighing up the strengths and limitations of its impact on the outcome of the US Civil War. The impact may extend beyond the timeframe but they must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may note the proclamation committed the nation to the ultimate end of slavery thus adding a moral cause to that of “preserving the Union”; the proclamation virtually ended Southern hope for British or French intervention on behalf of the South; the proclamation increased the manpower available to the North by authorizing the recruitment of freed slaves into the Union army. Other relevant factors may be addressed, for example the intention to weaken the Confederacy by disrupting the labour force and by causing internal insurrections, but with a focus on the issue in the question. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates make an appraisal of the Emancipation Proclamation, weighing up the strengths and limitations of its impact on the outcome of the US Civil War. The quality ranged from mediocre to adequate, though most candidates only addressed impact on morale or troop strength. Better responses also addressed the impact on foreign relations for both the North and South.