Final answer:
The executive action that freed enslaved people in the Confederate states during the U.S. Civil War was the Emancipation Proclamation. The Thirteenth Amendment, which was not an executive action, later permanently abolished slavery throughout the United States. option a is answer
Step-by-step explanation:
The executive action that secured the freedom of enslaved people in states that seceded during the U.S. Civil War was the Emancipation Proclamation. Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, the proclamation declared that all persons held as slaves in rebellious states are "thenceforward, and forever free." However, it did not immediately free all enslaved people.
The Thirteenth Amendment was the action that permanently ended slavery throughout the United States. While the Emancipation Proclamation was a critical step towards abolition, it was the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865 that officially banned the institution of slavery across the entire nation.
It's important to note, the Thirteenth Amendment was not an executive action but a legislative one, as it was passed by Congress and ratified by the states.
Option a is answer