Unites States History A 2:7 Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation

1863 executive order by President Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate states.

Preliminary Proclamation

Issued in September 1862 as a warning; gave the Confederacy until Jan 1, 1863, to rejoin or face abolition.

War Powers

Legal justification Lincoln used to issue the Emancipation Proclamation during wartime.

Impact on Europe

Prevented European nations from supporting the Confederacy by redefining the war as a fight against slavery.

African American Soldiers

After the Proclamation, Black men were allowed to enlist in the Union Army.

Border State Concerns

Lincoln excluded Union slave states from the Proclamation to avoid pushing them into secession.

Moral Purpose

Shifted the Union war goal from simply preserving the Union to ending slavery.

Public Reaction

Mixed; abolitionists praised it, while working-class whites feared job competition from freed slaves.