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"Contraband" was a term commonly used in the United States military during the Civil War. The Unions used this term to describe a new status for certain escaped slaves or those who affiliated with Union forces. The Army (and the United States Congress) determined that the United States would not return escaped slaves who went to Union lines and classifies them as "contraband". They used many as laborers to support Union efforts and soon began to pay them wages.

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Q: How did the union treat African americansfrom the period in which they were considered contraband through the emancipation proclamation?
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The emancipation proclamation freed no one here?

The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in the states that were in rebellion. This put the onus on them to return to the Union or face the loss of slaves. Many slaves fled to the union lines where they were considered contraband property until the proclamation went into effect.


Why does contraband have special meaning during the Civil War?

If Contraband is used with a capital C, it refers to former slaves who found their way to union territory and, following the Emancipation Proclamation, were then free.


What kind of response did the union soilders have on the emancipation proclamation?

As union troops moved through the south they provided help and safety for the slaves. There was one indecent where slaves were behind Union lines and southern soliders wanted the slaves returned to them. In war when there is contraband the side that has it is allowed to keep it, so the union officer told the southern officer the slaves were contraband and couldn't be returned. From that point on all former slaves who sought refuge with union troops were called contraband. I think this explains the response of the Union soldiers to the proclamation.


Did the emancipation proclamation apply to the entire US?

No. It only freed slaves in the rebellious states. Slaves in states that remained in the Union were not freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, and slaves in states in the Confederacy were technically freed, but since the Union didn't control most of that territory, only a relatively few slaves were actually freed immediately. (Mostly, those that had been captured by Union troops and were being held as "enemy contraband".)


Where did the Emancipation Proclamation not free people?

The Emancipation Proclamation specifically only freed slaves in those states "the people whereof shall be in rebellion against the United States". In other words, it did NOT free slaves in the four slave states which had not seceded (Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware), nor in Tennessee (which was occupied and effectively controlled by Union troops and therefore not "in rebellion"), nor in that portion of Virginia which would become West Virginia (which had seceded from Virginia when Virginia seceded from the Union). It also was not considered to apply to the southern part of Louisiana, which was under Union control at the time.Missouri was a complicated case; a portion of the government had voted to secede, but it wasn't the portion that actually had the power to do so, so it was considered by the Union to be a Union state and by the Confederacy to be a Confederate state with a government-in-exile. In any event, the Proclamation was held not to apply to Missouri.Slavery did not officially end in these areas until either the states themselves ended it, or until 1865, when the 13th amendment which abolished slavery in the entire US was ratified.Also, in practice, the only immediate effect of the Emancipation Proclamation was that slaves in captured by Union troops became free citizens rather than "contraband" (which is what they had been legally considered up to that point), since the portions of the Confederacy which were actually under Confederate control did not recognize the legality of the Emancipation Proclamation.


How were slave freed during the war?

The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in states that were still in rebellion as of January 1, 1863. Many claimed their freedom by defecting to Union lines where they were designated Contraband. The 14th Amendment ended slavery throughout the country after the war.


Are cell phone permitted in prison?

No, they are considered to be contraband.


How were the ex slaves expected to benefit from the emancipation act?

The proclamation only applied to slaves in states in rebellion, but even though it said they were free they really weren't. The owners kept them as slaves and when the Northern troops came through an area the slaves would often run behind northern lines. They were referred to as "contraband " because contraband doesn't have to be returned to the owner. The slaves stayed with the union forces and eventually were able to enlist.


Why did the proclamation not free very many slaves in the south?

The Emancipation Proclamation technically freed all slaves in the "south" (the rebellious states). The impact of this was reduced by the fact that the rebellious states didn't recognize the authority of the US federal government... that's kind of what "rebellious" meant, in fact. The only immediate impact, really, was on those slaves that were then or later fell into the hands of the Union army. Before the proclamation, slaves had been treated as enemy contraband; afterward, they were just freed.


Is it a crime to have Cuban cigars?

In the US a Cuban cigar is considered as contraband .


What items are considered contraband in a war?

weapons and articles used for fighting-novanet


What items are usually considered contraband in a war?

weapons and articles used for fighting-novanet