The Great Emancipators: How The Civil War Openly Became About Slavery

Abraham Lincoln's nickname, the Great Emancipator, is often attributed to his role in ending slavery during the Civil War. However, a lesser-known story about three slaves who escaped to Fort Monroe and were granted asylum by General Benjamin Butler reveals a more complex history. Butler's decision to hold the escapees as contraband of war marked a turning point in the war, forcing Congress to act and paving the way for Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.