Final answer:
The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, and it freed the slaves in the southern states at war with the north. However, its immediate impact was limited due to the lack of Union army presence in the Confederate states and the exclusion of the border states.
Step-by-step explanation:
It freed all the slaves in the southern states that were at war with the northern states.
However, it is important to note that the proclamation did not immediately free those enslaved in the Confederate states, as the lack of Union army presence made it difficult to enforce.
Additionally, it did not free those enslaved in the border states. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation as a military necessity to punish the areas involved in rebellion.