Category: American History
The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves — specifically, it freed slaves in the Confederate states (the states that had seceded from the Union).
Issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, the Proclamation was both a moral statement and a military strategy. By freeing slaves in rebel states, Lincoln weakened the Southern economy and allowed formerly enslaved people to join the Union Army.
The Emancipation Proclamation did not free slaves in border states that remained loyal to the Union. Full abolition of slavery came with the 13th Amendment in 1865.
Say: 'It freed the slaves' or 'freed slaves in the Confederacy.'
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