Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. It declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be freed. While it did not immediately free all enslaved individuals, it was a crucial step toward abolition and shifted the war's focus to include the fight against slavery. The proclamation also allowed for the recruitment of African American soldiers into the Union Army, strengthening the Union's forces and reinforcing the moral cause of the war against the Confederacy.