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Union General Benjamin Butler declared enslaved Blacks as "contraband" of war to deny the Confederacy their labor and to undermine their economy during the Civil War. By categorizing them as captured war supplies, Butler aimed to provide a legal justification for protecting these individuals, allowing them to seek refuge with Union forces. This decision also marked a significant step towards recognizing the role of enslaved people in the conflict, as it highlighted their status in the war effort and contributed to the evolving Union policy regarding emancipation.

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Why did union general Benjamin butler declare enslaved African American refuges to be contraband or captured war supplies?

Union General Benjamin Butler declared enslaved African American refugees as "contraband" based on the military necessity to undermine the Confederacy's labor force. By classifying them as captured war supplies, he aimed to prevent their return to enslavers and provide them protection, thereby advancing the Union's war efforts. This decision also signaled a shift in the Union's approach to slavery, recognizing the potential of enslaved individuals to contribute to the Union cause.


Why did general Benjamin Butler declare enslaved African American refugees to be contraband or captured war supplies?

Declaring slaves who had run away into the position of the Union Army to be "contraband" allowed the Union Army to "confiscate" them. This meant that the Union Army did not have to turn the runaways over to their owners, when the owners appeared wanting their slaves back. This denied the labor of the slaves to the south, and also satisfied the feelings of many in the Union Army, who did not like the idea of forcing slaves who had escaped back into servitude. So, for some months runaways were called "contrabands". This was before the Emancipation Proclamation, which did not take effect until January 1, 1863, by which time the war had been going on for more than nineteen months. Union leaders had to steer clear of the mention of "emancipation", of freeing the slaves, for the first part of the war. Very early on the Union commander in Missouri, John C. Fremont, had issued his own "emancipation" without consulting President Lincoln first, or even warning anyone in Washington DC what he intended to do. Fremont was a "political general", one of a large number of men (like Ben Butler) who were appointed as generals in the army in the early days not because they were great soldiers, but because of their political clout and connections, so Fremont should have known better. (Fremont did at least have some military experience, unlike almost all the other political generals - he had become famous as "The Pathfinder" following publication of his book written about his explorations of the west as the commander of a military expedition before the war). Fremont had been the first Republican to run for President, but he lost in 1856. Lincoln was the first Republican elected. Lincoln forced Fremont to withdraw his proclamation of "emancipation" in those early days in Missouri. The reason for this was Lincoln was trying to woo the border states - states which had slavery, but had not seceded - yet, anyway - and joined the Confederacy. Lincoln had said he hoped to have God on his side, but he HAD to have Kentucky. So all talk of "emancipation" had to be stifled at first, to avoid alarming the politically powerful large slave-holders in the border states (Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware) and to not give them the issue of slavery over which to decide they must cast their lot with the south, or be bankrupted.


How much money has the U.S. donated to refugees (up to 2015)?

As of 2015, the United States had donated over $4 billion to support refugees globally. This funding primarily provided humanitarian aid, assistance, and resettlement services through various programs and agencies, including the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The U.S. has consistently been one of the largest contributors to international refugee assistance efforts.


What are the effects of a nation divided by civil war?

The effects of a nation divided by civil war include a poor economy, poverty, crime and death of the citizens which occurs during the war. Civil war leads some of the citizens into being refugees.


How did the us immigration policy change after World War 2?

After World War II, U.S. immigration policy shifted significantly with the introduction of the Displaced Persons Act of 1948, which allowed for the admission of European refugees displaced by the war. The McCarran-Walter Act of 1952 further reformed immigration, establishing a system based on national origins and prioritizing skilled workers and relatives of U.S. citizens. This period also saw a growing emphasis on humanitarian considerations, leading to increased acceptance of refugees and asylees. Overall, the changes reflected a response to global displacement and the evolving needs of the U.S. labor market.

Related Questions

Why did union general Benjamin butler declare enslaved African-American refugees to be contraband or captured war supplies?

He would not have to return them to slave holders in the south


Why did Union General Benjamin Butler declare enslaved African American refugees to be contraband or captured war supplies?

It was an excuse for not returning the slaves to their owners, and thereby weakening the Southern economy.


Why did union general Benjamin butler declare enslaved African American refuges to be contraband or captured war supplies?

Union General Benjamin Butler declared enslaved African American refugees as "contraband" based on the military necessity to undermine the Confederacy's labor force. By classifying them as captured war supplies, he aimed to prevent their return to enslavers and provide them protection, thereby advancing the Union's war efforts. This decision also signaled a shift in the Union's approach to slavery, recognizing the potential of enslaved individuals to contribute to the Union cause.


Why did union general butler declare enslaved African American American refugees to be contraband or captured war supplies?

It was an excuse for not returning the slaves to their owners, and thereby weakening the Southern economy.


Why did union Benjamin butler declare enslaved African American refugees to be contraband or capture war supplies?

The law allowed for enemy property to be confiscated. Since the South considered slaves chattels (personal property), Butler took advantage of the loophole to free the slaves in Southern territory under Union control.


What is the poem 'We Refugees' by Benjamin zephaniah about?

a poem on refugees


Use the word refugee in a sentence?

the refugees were coming in fast to the camp after their release from the stockage where they had been captured.


What has the author Benjamin Mulamba Mbuyi written?

Benjamin Mulamba Mbuyi has written: 'Refugees and International Law/Les Refugies Et Le Droit International'


What were Southern runaway Black slaves who found shelter behind the Union Lines called and when was this term first used?

In the first year of the Civil War large numbers of escaping slaves found refuge in Fort Monroe in Hampton Virginia, a miltary installation which never fell into Confederate hands. The commander of that fort, General Benjamin Butler of the Massachusetts volunteers named these refugees "Contrabands" as they were contraband, that is captured property of war. It is a demeaning term as it recognized the slaves as property rather than as people. Nonetheless the term caught on and was widely used in the Union Army, The Northern Press, and by Union politicians during the entire course of the war.


How many country did China rule?

TIBET, china captured it in 1950 had still controls it and claims it be its own integral part.millions of refugees and there descendants still live in india.


What part of speech is refugees?

Refugees is a noun


When was The Refugees created?

The Refugees was created in 1893.