The three essays in this volume present an introduction to history of
the emancipation of the slaves during the Civil War. The first essay
traces the destruction of slavery by discussing the shift from a war for
the Union to a war against slavery. The slaves are shown to have shaped
the destiny of the nation through their determination to place their
liberty on the wartime agenda. The second essay examines the evolution
of freedom in occupied areas of the lower and upper South. The struggle
of those freed to obtain economic independence in difficult wartime
circumstances indicates conflicting conceptions of freedom among former
slaves and slaveholders, Northern soldiers and civilians. The third
essay demonstrates how the enlistment and military service of nearly
200,000 slaves hastened the transformation of the war into a struggle
for universal liberty, and how this experience shaped the lives of
former slaves long after the war had ended.