Emancipation Proclamation of the Negros by Thomas Nash

On the first of January 1865, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which is an executive order that granted over 3 million slaves in the United States their freedom. Thomas Nash was a German-born American activist against slavery. He tenaciously fought against slavery and expressed his despondency towards the government through art. Following the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, Nash published the painting “Emancipation of the Negroes” in Harper’s Weekly, January 24, 1965. The painting depicts despondent slaves working tirelessly under unconscionable masters in the past, the eradication of the repulsive practice of slavery in the present, and Nash’s hopes for a happy African American family in the future. Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, Nash was in charge of illustrating battles from the Civil War however after Lincoln issued his Proclamation, Nash began producing artwork honoring the document. His paintings made evident that he sided with the Union and the freedom of slaves. He hoped the liberation of slaves would lead to the union becoming more socially tolerant, integrated, and unified.

The image in the middle of his illustration shows what he hopes the future for previously enslaved African Americans would be like. He desired a nation where African Americans and their families could be “normal”, financially stable, and happy. Nash was determined to ensure blacks would no longer be defiled as depicted in the surrounding photos to the left. There are pictures of slaves being whipped for misbehavior, chased after escape attempts, and auctioned and sold to white masters. The images on the right show African American children going to school and receiving an education. It also shows African American adults waiting in line at a cashier’s window to manage businesses and make transactions. On the bottom, there is a small picture of father time holding the New Year baby in his arms which frees an African American from its shackles. It represents Lincoln’s campaign promise to liberate slaves.

This illustration gives insight into the heartbreaking past of what the enslaved had to endure. It shows us the inspiration that Emancipation gave people and what people took from the historical moment. Seeing this illustration aided people in visualizing a future for post-Emancipation America. While it took over 12 years for freed African Americans to build stable lives and even afterwards were still being treated terribly, the dream of them having stable lives was finally achieved. This image invokes a sense of hope for the future and shows how the Emancipation changed so much for previously enslaved African Americans.