John Sherman Argument for Emancipation as Military Compensation for Enslaved People in Union Service, 1864

John Sherman

Ephemera and pamphlets

Sherman, John. Speech by Hon. John Sherman of Ohio on Emancipation as a Compensation for Military Service Rendered by Slaves, 1864, advances a legislative argument linking Black military service in the Union Army to claims for freedom during the Civil War. Delivered in the United States Senate on February 2, 1864, the speech situates emancipation within wartime policy rather than abstract moral principle, asserting that enslaved people who contributed to Union victory through labor or direct service should receive freedom as compensation. Sherman, a leading antislavery senator who would later support the Thirteenth Amendment and help shape Reconstruction legislation, articulates a vision of national transformation grounded in emancipation and expansion. He concludes with a forward-looking claim that “a single generation of men, free, industrious, and happy, will compensate our nation for all the losses and sacrifices of this great war,” tying the abolition of slavery to economic growth, westward migration, and the reconstitution of the Union.

Sherman, John. Speech by Hon. John Sherman of Ohio on Emancipation as a Compensation for Military Service Rendered by Slaves, Delivered in the Senate of the United States. Washington, D.C.: McGill and Witherow, 1864. 16 pages. Pamphlet format. The address forms part of a broader congressional discourse following the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, as lawmakers debated the legal, military, and economic implications of incorporating formerly enslaved people into Union war efforts. Sherman’s position aligns with evolving federal policy recognizing Black enlistment and labor as essential to Union success, while also anticipating the constitutional abolition of slavery the following year.

Issued during the final phase of the Civil War, the speech contributes to the legislative record that shaped emancipation policy and Reconstruction frameworks. Its emphasis on compensation through freedom reflects a transitional moment in federal thinking, moving from wartime necessity toward permanent structural change in American society. By linking Black service to national renewal and population expansion, Sherman situates emancipation within a broader program of economic and territorial development. Minor penciling present, not affecting legibility. Small open tear at the lower fore-edge corner of the front page. Otherwise well preserved and stable. Overall very good.

Item #17939

Price: $875.00