Summary of Eric Foner's The Second Founding

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The end of American slavery was a process that took decades to complete. It began at the war’s outset when slaves, eager to seize the opportunity presented by the presence of northern armies, began to seek refuge behind Union lines. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, was the crucial step in the process. #2 Lincoln was not an abolitionist, and did not support the immediate end of slavery.