Emancipation Proclamation

US cabinet members hear Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 22 September 1862, freeing all slaves in the Confederacy as of 1 January 1863.

Official order made by US president Abraham Lincoln on 22 September 1862, during the American Civil War, that freed slaves in Confederate (southern) states. The order stated that from 1 January 1863 all slaves in states that were still rebelling against the Union would be forever free. Border states that remained loyal to the Union were excluded. Parts of the South that were then under Union control were also exempt.

Lincoln had read a preliminary proclamation to his cabinet, who urged him to wait until a major Union victory before delivering it publicly. The proclamation was made five days after the Battle of Antietam, which was regarded as a Union victory. Additionally, the Emancipation Proclamation announced that former slaves could join the fight for freedom by serving in the Union army and navy. Nearly 200,000 African-American men became Union fighters during the Civil War.