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What was the Emancipation Proclamation?

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Lauren Houston

The Emancipation Proclamation was first issued through an initial Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22nd, 1862. This stated that all enslaved people in states still in rebellion from January 1st, 1863, would henceforth be declared free. Although this did not end slavery across the nation, it did inspire Black enslaved people to support the military campaign from the Union, as although this introductory policy aspired to bring about the freedom of all slaves, it was dependent upon the success and ultimate victory of the Union military.

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This was an edict (official order) issued by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, that freed the slaves of the Confederate states who were in rebellion against the Union. As president, Lincoln could issue no such declaration; as commander in chief of the armies and navies of the United States, he could issue directions only as to the territory within his lines, but the Emancipation Proclamation applied only to territory outside of his lines. It has therefore been debated whether the proclamation was in reality of any force. It may fairly be taken as an announcement of the policy that was to guide the army and as a declaration of freedom taking effect as the lines advanced. 

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Ruby Gondris

The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. It declared that all slaves in Confederate territory were to be set free, effective January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation did not actually free any slaves; it simply declared that they were free. It was not enforced in the parts of the Confederacy that were already under Union control, and it was largely disregarded in the Confederate states. However, it did serve as a significant moral victory for the Union and helped to shift the focus of the war from preserving the Union to abolishing slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was followed by the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery throughout the United States.

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Fin Watton

The Emancipation Proclamation was a set of slavery-abolitionist laws decreed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in response to the ongoing Civil War in America. One of its most notable decrees was the freeing of slaves from Southern states - The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."

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Liz Knight

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued January 1st 1863. It stated that all slaves were to be free.

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Tobi Somefun

The proclamation of the freedom of slaves in 1863. This was just a proclamation, it took more than 3 years for this to come in effect

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The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. This proclamation declared that all enslaved individuals in the Confederate states were to be set free. However, it did not immediately free all slaves; its impact was limited to areas under Confederate control, where the Union had limited practical authority.


The Emancipation Proclamation was a significant turning point in the Civil War as it changed the character of the conflict by making the abolition of slavery a central goal of the Union war effort. It also encouraged enslaved individuals to escape to Union lines and join the fight against the Confederacy.


It's important to note that the Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free all slaves in the United States, as it only applied to Confederate-held territory. It took the passage of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865 to abolish slavery throughout the entire country.

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Sylvia Lingham

The Emancipation Proclamation was a Proclamation made by American President Abraham Lincoln on January 1st 1863 at the approach of the third year of the American Civil War. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves [within the Confederated States] are, and henceforward shall be free". In effect, this was a promise made by the Union Government to free the slaves of the Southern States, providing a moral backing to the Union Government, and endearing itself to slaves and ex-slaves alike.

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