Question

Why did Lincoln take so long to announce the Emancipation Proclamation? He was waiting for members of Congress to agree to it. He was waiting for election results from the fall of 1862. He was unsure of whether or not to free the slaves. He was waiting for a Union victory on the field of battle.

Answer 1

The best answer is that he was waiting for a Union victory at the battle field.

President Lincoln had first proposed the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet secretary in July 1862, but Secretary of State William Seward suggested waiting for a Union victory so that the government could prove that it could enforce the Proclamation.

Although the battle of Antietam resulted in a draw, the Union army was able to drive the Confederates out of Maryland-enough for a "victory" that Lincoln felt comfortable issuing the Emancipation just five days later.