Question

Why did Lincoln need a military victory before he could announce the emancipation of slaves in southern states?

A. The South might accept emancipation if it looked like the North could win the war.
B. The North didn't have a single victory up until this point.
C. Union soldiers wouldn't support emancipation if they didn't have a winning record.
D. He didn't want the Emancipation Proclamation to look like an act of desperation.

Answer 1

D He didn't want the Emancipation Proclamation to look like an act of desperation. If he had done it before another victory, it would have seemed as if he was playing his last card, which would have made the Union lose morale and the Confederates gain morale.