What did the Emancipation Proclamation achieve?

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, specifically targeted enslaved individuals in the Confederate states, declaring that they were to be freed. This strategic move was intended to weaken the Confederacy during the Civil War by depriving it of its labor force, as well as to shift the war’s focus to the issue of slavery. While it did not free all enslaved people in the United States — as it only applied to areas in rebellion against the Union — it marked a significant turning point in American history by making the endorsement of emancipation an official war aim. This executive order laid the groundwork for the eventual abolition of slavery nationwide with the 13th Amendment in 1865.