Emancipation Proclamation

order made by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed all southern slaves (did not take effect until the end of the Civil War in 1865)

The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The first one, issued on September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in such territory of the Confederate States of America as did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863, and the second one, issued on January 1, 1863, enumerated the specific territories where it applied.
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