History

Read Ira Berlin’s essay “Who Freed the Slaves?  Emancipation and Its Meaning in American Life.”   You can find this in JSTOR or other databases, as well as in this module.

https://farmingdale.open.suny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-2006064-dt-content-rid-22234328_1/courses/202106-HIS121-BJ1-61844/Berlin_1997-print%20who%20freed%20the%20slaves.pdf 

Step 2: Respond to the following questions.   Using an outside source and Berlin’s essay, write a response (300-400 words) to the following questions:

1. What are the two answers to the question “who freed the slaves?” 
2. How have different historians answered this question? If you’ve seen the film “Lincoln,” how did Steven Spielberg and his collaborators answer the question?
3. What is Berlin’s answer to the question?  What evidence does he provide? (If you’ve seen the film “Lincoln,” how do you think Berlin would respond to it?)
4. Evaluate Berlin’s argument and evidence a bit … do you find it persuasive?  Why or why not?