On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation, passed within the third year of the Civil War, declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free" (National Archives).
Citation: National Archives. “The Emancipation Proclamation.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, 2019, www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation.
More information about the Emancipation Proclamation can be found at the following links:
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-procl…
Transcript:
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-procl…
Implications:
https://historycooperative.org/effects-emancipation-proclamation/
Image Citation: https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-procl…