Final answer:
The Emancipation Proclamation did not give Lincoln direct authority over the Southern states, but he used his powers as commander-in-chief to issue the proclamation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. While Lincoln did not have direct authority over the Southern states, he used his powers as commander-in-chief to issue the proclamation. The proclamation stated that all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State in rebellion against the United States would be forever free.
However, the proclamation did not immediately free all enslaved people, as it could not be enforced in Confederate states without Union presence.
Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not completely end slavery, it was a significant step towards that goal. It shifted the objective of the war towards ending slavery and redefined the war as a fight to overthrow slavery. It also paved the way for the enlistment of freed slaves in the Union army, further contributing to the Union's efforts to defeat the Confederacy.