5.8 Government Policies during the Civil War

The Civil War expanded the power and reach of the federal government to levels never seen before. To preserve the Union, President Lincoln and Congress enacted policies that transformed the economy, education, and political life of the nation. The most important of these was the Emancipation Proclamation, which redefined the war as a struggle for freedom. Nearly two hundred thousand African American soldiers and sailors eventually served in the Union forces, proving their courage and helping reshape the meaning of citizenship.