The Emancipation Proclamation (context: general emancipation)

The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. Its primary aim was to free enslaved people in Confederate states that were in rebellion against the Union. While it did not free all enslaved individuals, it marked a significant step towards ending slavery in the U.S. The proclamation also allowed for the recruitment of African American soldiers into the Union Army, further strengthening the fight against the Confederacy and setting the stage for the eventual passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery nationwide.