The final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted on January 1, 1863 -- three months after Lincoln released his preliminary draft. Flush from his first significant battlefield victory at Antietam, Lincoln nonetheless declared the freeing of the slaves in the Confederate states a "military necessity." Moreover, he proposed that they be armed and enlisted into the fight against their former masters. Lincoln's proclamation, however, skirted several political land mines, by leaving in bondage the slaves of areas already loyal to, or subdued by, the Union. Consider how this draft differs in length, content, and scope from the preliminary draft of the proclamation.

Investigate the source using the zoom and navigational tools in the Flash player and then answer the questions below.

1			Compare the appearance of the final draft to the preliminary draft. How and why are these drafts different?
2			How does Lincoln's approach to emancipation differ in the final draft?
3			What types of rules or exceptions does Lincoln include in the final draft? Why?
4			How does Lincoln give the final draft more power and authority than the preliminary draft?
5			How does Lincoln attempt to quiet critics of emancipation in the final draft of the document?