a gesture of defiance, disrespect, or derision. Idioms. 2. cock a / one's snook, to thumb the nose: a painter who cocks a snook at traditional techniques.
Effect on the Civil War. The importance of the Emancipation Proclamation is that it altered the cause and reasons for the Civil War. At the onset, it was about the Unionâs attempt to bring the Confederates back into the fold. With the proclamation, things changed.
Although the purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation, in addition to freeing slaves, was to help the war effort, it did have negative consequences on the Union's cause. Many in the North did not support emancipation. Although abolitionist sentiments were high, most, including Lincoln, wanted gradual emancipation.