apr 1, 1863 - Lieber Code issued by Union

Description:

Union guidelines for the laws of war, issued in April 1863. The code ruled that soldiers and prisoners must be treated equally without respect to color or race; justified a range of military actions if they were based on “necessity” that would “hasten surrender”; and outlawed use of torture. The code provided a foundation for later international agreements on the laws of war.

-drafted by German immigrant law professor Francis Lieber, who had sons serving in both the Union and Confederate armies
-Anyone who escaped a slaveholding locality was therefore free, and African American soldiers must be treated exactly as whites were
-quick wars=most humane
-lieber let them shoot spies/starve civilians ifit meant a quick surrender
-protections for POW's (no torture)
-admired in Europe
-foundation for Geneva Conventionsand other international agreements on the laws of war

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