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The Emancipation Proclamation: Abraham Lincoln's Declaration That Helped Bring About the End of Slavery

By: Emma Slattery Williams
Originally Published in  
HistoryExtra
Illustration of the first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln
© Getty
Vocabulary

Union (noun): The Northern states that stayed loyal to the U.S. government.

Confederacy (noun): The group of Southern states that left the U.S. during the Civil War.

Proclamation (noun): An official public announcement.

Advantage (noun): Something that helps someone be successful.

Abolish (verb): To end something officially.

During the Civil War, the United States was split between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy). One of the key events that changed the course of the war — and American history — was the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. This historic document declared that all enslaved people in Confederate states were free.

How the Proclamation changed the war

At first, the Proclamation did not free every enslaved person; it only applied to areas still fighting against the Union. Border states and Confederate areas already under Union control weren’t affected. However, the announcement gave new purpose to the war: it was now a fight not just to save the Union but also to end slavery.

The impact of the Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation had several powerful effects. It allowed Black men to join the Union Army and Navy. Nearly 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors joined the fight for freedom. Their service gave the Union a stronger military and a moral advantage.

International support

The Proclamation also discouraged European nations like Britain and France from supporting the South, as they did not want to be seen as supporting slavery.

A step toward abolition and equality

Although slavery wasn’t fully abolished until the 13th Amendment was passed in 1865, Lincoln’s Proclamation marked a turning point. It gave hope to enslaved people, shifted public opinion, and made freedom part of the Union’s mission.

© Emma Slattery Williams / www.historyextra.com