Contextualization The authors observe as they evaluate the significance
of the Emancipation Proclamation, "With a fateful
stroke of the president's pen, the Civil War now
became more of a moral crusade as well as what
Lincoln called a ‘remorseless revolutionary struggle.'
In other words, a war that began to preserve the
Union in 1861 became a war to preserve the Union
and end slavery in January 1863. As you read this
chapter and recall information from Chapter 20, can
you explain how the national context changed from
April 1861 to January 1863? How does this change
in national context help explain Lincoln's decision
to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?