What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, specifically aimed to free enslaved individuals in the Confederate states that were in rebellion against the Union. It marked a significant turning point in the American Civil War by effectively transforming the war into a fight for freedom. While it declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate territories were to be set free, it did not abolish slavery in the border states or areas of the Confederacy that were already under Union control.

This proclamation also allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union Army, which bolstered the Union's strength and further highlighted the moral imperative of fighting for freedom. The Emancipation Proclamation was a strategic wartime measure intended to weaken the Confederate states while asserting the Union's commitment to the ideals of liberty and freedom.