Where Did Freedom Come From?

Recently,  our class has been discussing where slavery came from and who gave it to the people. The questions that were asked to us were Who gave freedom to enslaved Americans?  Did freedom come from above or below?  To what extent were Abraham Lincoln's actions influenced by the actions of enslaved Americans? To answer these questions we looked at documents that held quotes from the time. In addition we analyzed a photograph of Lincoln with a black man kneeling before him.  

Now whether freedom came from the higher or lower parts of society is a difficult question to answer.  The lower part of society had more people to show the strength of their cause,  but Lincoln and other people of the higher class was much more influential.  They also had more power to free the blacks of the U.S.A. Abraham's actions were very influential and a lot of his decisions he thought of the african slaves on his soil. Lincoln was able to call the shots and even though if he knew that the south would not like his decisions he knew he had to support the slaves anyway.  This can seen through the Civil war.  He took action and by the end of the war blacks would be free from their chains , but have to endure stereotypes, discrimination,  and unfair treatment nonetheless.  The slave population was not able to be as powerful as the president in the decisions they made,  which is why freedom came from above.

In my opinion I think that freedom started with the slaves and ended with Lincoln.  The slaves started to push the boulder down the hill,  then Lincoln brought in war and political power to do the rest. All the sources seem trustworthy,  and I trust them for the most part. It makes sense that slaves started the freedom of themselves and that people with more power finished it.

http://www.edline.net/files/stream/2CCF070452E21064-0000014CAFD896FD/Freedom+to+the+Slaves.jpg