Final answer:
Reactions to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation ranged from joy among enslaved individuals to fierce opposition from Confederate leaders and racially motivated hostility among parts of the Northern populace. The Proclamation was seen as a military strategy impacting the South's resources and eventually led to political disputes over the approach to reconciliation and punishment for the South.
Step-by-step explanation:
The reaction to President Abraham Lincoln's preliminary announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was mixed across different demographics. The proclamation incited euphoria among the enslaved as it signaled the potential end of bondage. Conversely, Confederate leaders vehemently opposed the announcement, committed to maintaining the institution of slavery. In the North, reactions were split; abolitionists celebrated the move toward ending an immoral institution, while others, particularly working-class Irish and other urban dwellers, found the idea of emancipation undesirable for economic reasons, fearing competition for jobs. This sentiment even led to violent demonstrations, such as the New York City Draft Riots. Additionally, the proclamation was viewed as a war measure and a strategy aimed at undermining the South's resources rather than a moral statement against bondage.
Meanwhile, Lincoln's offers of gradual compensated emancipation to states with fewer enslaved individuals, like Delaware, failed due to the white population's resistance and fear of equality between the races. The state of Kentucky also resisted attempts at undermining slavery, maintaining the institution until the Thirteenth Amendment. Within the political sphere, the Radical Republicans wanted stringent measures against the South and protections for freed individuals, surpassing Lincoln's moderate approaches for reconciliation. The Emancipation Proclamation, despite not immediately freeing all slaves, was a significant step in the transition of the Civil War's aims to include the abolition of slavery.