Who Really Gave the Slaves Freedom

In class recently, we were tasked with answering the question of who really gave freedom to the enslaved Americans. Some people say that it was Abraham Lincoln, while others say that it was the enslaved Americans. While Lincoln did issue the Emancipation Proclamation, if it wasn't for the freedmen who fought for the Union, slavery wouldn't have been abolished. Due to this, freedom came from below, not from above.

While the Emancipation Proclamation did allow all slaves in the Confederate to become free, there was still a war to be won. Many freedmen enlisted in the Union army and would go on to assist the Union in winning the war. There were many examples of black soldiers fighting to help secure their freedom when the war ended. Without the bravery of those men, the Union wouldn't have won the war, and slavery wouldn't have been abolished.

Black soldiers at Dutch Gap, Virginia.
The troops would contribute to the Union victory.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DutchGapb.jpg
File in public domain

Freedom comes from below, not from above. The people must fight for their freedom, even if the government make it a law that they are free. People will try to take away the freedom that you earn. With the recent events in Baltimore and the events with police treatment of blacks, people will have to change the treatment. It will be up to the people to pave the way, not the government. The people have to decide what is right and wrong themselves.