Final answer:
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation declared the freedom of slaves in Confederate states in rebellion as of January 1, 1863. It applied only to areas not under Union control and did not immediately free all enslaved people but shifted the focus of the Civil War towards abolition.
Step-by-step explanation:
President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, and it declared that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states were to be free. This pivotal document was limited in scope, applying only to states that had seceded from the Union and where the Union had no authority at the time. The proclamation did not immediately emancipate all enslaved people but redefined the purpose of the Civil War, adding moral force to the Union cause and paving the way for the abolition of slavery.
Key points to understand about the Emancipation Proclamation include that it was a strategic war measure, it did not free slaves in Union states or Confederate areas controlled by Union forces, and it led to the eventual passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which legally abolished slavery throughout the United States. Lincoln's proclamation leveraged his powers as commander-in-chief and was a significant step towards ending slavery, although full abolition required the subsequent constitutional amendment.