What was the reaction of the southern slave owners to the emancipation proclamation?

Answer 1

The slave owners thought that the document's existence was insignificant as far as actually freeing the slaves, but they knew that the slaves have heard of it through grapevine, and feared the the slaves would revolt.

In easy terms, the slave owners could care less about the document, and continued on with their lives.

Answer 2

Confederate soldiers generally were horrified. For two centuries the thought of a slave rebellion terrified the slave holding states. In order prevent a slave uprising or suppress it if one did happen, slave states attempted to keep the population of slaves significantly smaller than the population at large by stopping the import of slaves from Africa among other measures. Despite such attempts, by the time of the Civil War, slaves made up almost 40% of the population of the Confederacy.

A general feeling among Confederate soldiers was that the Emancipation Proclamation was an attempt by Lincoln to incite a slave uprising to destroy the Confederacy. After generations of brutal repression of the slaves, it was easy to imagine an uprising with ugly reprisals and Confederate politicians did their best fearmongering of the possibility. Instead, and to their great credit, escaped or liberated slaves who wanted to fight for emancipation joined the Union Army in large numbers. An astounding 85% or more of the African American population eligible for military service volunteered. By the end of the war, African Americans made up 10% of the Union Army, some 180,000 in all.

The Union soldiers had a more divided reaction to the Emancipation Proclamation. A good percent of them were mainly interested in preservation of the union, and worried that the Emancipation Proclamation would prolong the war by forclosing any possibility of a negotiated peace that would return the seceding states to the union. Many, though probably a minority of Union Soldiers at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation considered slavery the primary moral force for the war and reacted favorably to the Proclamation. Also, the effect on African American soldiers was profound, particularly in recruiting new volunteers.

Answer 3

The southern plantation owners were outraged. It was as if their way of life was being dictated. They needed many people to take care of their plantations which took up many areas of land, and the slaves fulfilled that requirement. Without the slaves, their business and livelihood were finished. They viewed African-Americans as possessions, and therefore believed that mistreating them was of no matter. In addition, even if the slaves were to be freed, they had nowhere to go and no money.

Answer 4

They ridiculed it because it applied to all the states that Lincoln did not control.

They also rubbished the claim that some of the Southern states might want to rejoin the Union before the deadline (January 1st 1863) and be allowed to retain their slaves for the duration of the war, as the Border states had. In this, they were correct.

Answer 5

Southern slaves were excited about the Emancipation Proclamation. After all their years as slaves, they believed that they would soon be free men.