Emanicipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. It declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate states were to be set free. While it didn’t immediately free all slaves, it was significant as it changed the war's focus to include the abolition of slavery as a goal, and it allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union Army. The Proclamation marked a crucial step towards the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States.