Question

What was the first step the U.S. government took toward emancipation during the war?

Answer 1

The first step toward emancipation by the U.S. government was President Lincoln's announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and called for the freedom of slaves in rebelling states.

Step-by-step explanation:

The first step the U.S. government took toward emancipation during the Civil War was the development and issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. After witnessing the limitation of military victories and the unreliability of compensated emancipation plans, Lincoln viewed emancipation as a military necessity to weaken the Confederacy. The preliminary proclamation was announced in September 1862, asserting that unless the southern states ceased their rebellion by January 1, 1863, their slaves would be declared free. The official Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, re-energized the Union cause, now fused with the moral goal of ending slavery, and set the stage for the recruitment of African American soldiers into the Union Army, a pivotal shift in the Civil War.