http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/thirteenth-amendment Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:24:35 -0400 Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:24:35 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/703/a-nation-divided-civil-war-politics-and-emancipation By Joshua A. Jones - The Emancipation Proclamation was arguably the United States’ first step away from hypocrisy and toward true racial equality. However, commentators often obscure its pivotal role in bringing the Civil War to a close by inferring that it was contrived out of benevolence and concern for the civil rights of minorities. These romanticized narratives overlook the position of slavery in the pre-Civil War economy and the use of segregation as a social control mechanism. This paper examines the content of various speeches given by the “Great Emancipator” Abraham Lincoln during his campaign... Fri, 28 Sep 2012 09:54 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/703/a-nation-divided-civil-war-politics-and-emancipation