Presidential Order Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order—Authorizing Employment of "Contrabands"

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Tuesday, July 22, 1862

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1 min read (188 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Abraham Lincoln on 1862-07-22, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "—Authorizing Employment of "Contrabands"." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ That military and naval commanders shall employ as laborers within and from said States so many persons of African descent as can be advantageously used for military or naval purposes, giving them reasonable wages for their labor.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants

Total Words

188

1,172 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

17.5

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order, "Executive Order—Authorizing Employment of "Contrabands"," Abraham Lincoln (Jul 22, 1862). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-authorizing-employment-contrabands.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

WAR DEPARTMENT 1. Ordered, That military commanders within the States of Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas in an orderly manner seize and use any property, real or personal, which may be necessary or convenient for their several commands as supplies or for other military purposes; and that while property may be destroyed for proper military objects, none shall be destroyed in wantonness of malice. 2. That military and naval commanders shall employ as laborers within and from said States so many persons of African descent as can be advantageously used for military or naval purposes, giving them reasonable wages for their labor. 3. That as to both property and persons of African descent accounts shall be kept sufficiently accurate and in detail to show quantities and amounts and from whom both property and such persons shall have come, as a basis upon which compensation can be made in proper cases; and the several Departments of this Government shall attend to and perform their appropriate parts toward the execution of these orders. By order of the President: EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.