The Emancipation was put into effect on January 1st, 1863, but it had been in the works for months before. Lincoln first introduced the idea in summer of 1862. Lincoln thought if the slaves were free, the war would end because the South couldn't use slaves as laborers anymore. The only concern was if Lincoln could actually enforce the law and protect the free slaves. The proclamation was first issued a few days after the victory at Antietam. The Proclamation had a huge effect on the war. The Proclamation allowed African-Americans in rebel states to be free, border states were an exception. The Proclamation also allowed free blacks to join the Union army. By the end of the war, 200,000 blacks soldiers had served on the Union side. The Emancipation Proclamation led the way to the 13th Amendment, which officially abolished slavery.
Image from:
Memory.loc.gov
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