Final answer:
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which declared freedom for slaves in the rebellious states but did not immediately end slavery in the United States. It served as a military strategy to undermine the Confederacy and paved the way for the eventual abolition of slavery through the Thirteenth Amendment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Emancipation Proclamation and Its Impact
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as a war measure during the American Civil War. Lincoln relied on his powers as commander-in-chief to issue the proclamation, which declared that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." However, it did not instantly free all slaves in the United States, particularly not those in the Border States or areas under Union control. Lincoln's strategic move did not end slavery but redefined the war aims to include the abolition of slavery as a critical objective.
The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery throughout the US; it specifically targeted areas in rebellion, leaving over 700,000 slaves in bondage in Union states and occupied territories. The military necessity of weakening the Confederacy's war effort was a driving force behind Lincoln's decision. The proclamation transformed the character of the Civil War, as it allowed the enlistment of freed slaves into the Union Army, adding moral and military force to the Union cause.
Lincoln's proclamation was significant in terms of ideological implications and shifting the objectives of the Civil War. The proclamation sowed the seeds for future efforts to abolish slavery, culminating in the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, which finally ended slavery in the United States. Moreover, the proclamation was a strategic move to destabilize the Confederate economy, heavily reliant on slave labor, and to redefine the Union's war efforts.