What did the Emancipation Proclamation accomplish?

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 during the Civil War. By declaring the freedom of all slaves in those areas, the Proclamation transformed the character of the war, allowing for the Union to morally justify its fight against slavery and encouraging freed individuals to join the Union army.

While the Proclamation did not free all enslaved people in the United States (it did not apply to slave-holding border states loyal to the Union), it marked a pivotal moment in U.S. history by making the abolition of slavery a central goal of the war. The 13th Amendment, passed later, would be necessary to abolish slavery entirely in the United States, underscoring that the Proclamation itself was a critical step rather than a complete resolution to the issue of slavery.