Final answer:
Slaves who fell into the hands of the Union army according to the Confiscation Act of 1862 were regarded as captives of war. This legislation was part of the broader wartime changes that culminated in the Emancipation Proclamation and the eventual 13th Amendment. Option c is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the Confiscation Act of 1862, slaves who fell into the hands of the Union army were to be regarded as captives of war. This Act was a step forward by the Congress to redefine the status of enslaved individuals and tackle the institution of slavery during the Civil War. The first Confiscation Act, passed in 1861, allowed for the seizure of slaves used by the Confederacy, labeling fleeing slaves to Union lines as "contraband." The second Confiscation Act of 1862 built upon this concept by extending freedom to escaped slaves and those captured by the Union armies, nullifying the claims of their masters. Moreover, this Act was part of a series of legislation during the Civil War that gradually led to the polarizing Emancipation Proclamation, which aimed at freeing slaves within the rebelling states.
The Emancipation Proclamation, while not immediately effective in liberating all slaves, started to undermine the Confederacy's labor system as Union forces advanced. Additionally, the question of addressing freed slaves' future raised complex discussions on the nature of the South's reconstruction, including potential land redistribution. Ultimately, the second Confiscation Act contributed to the transformation of the war into a fight against slavery, paving the path for the eventual abolition with the 13th Amendment.
The correct option for the student's question is: c. captives of war.