Abraham Lincoln’s Highest Achievement – the Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation was one of the most important historic moments in the history of the United States. This document was created by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. At this time, slavery had been abolished in most of the world and was considered cruel by most countries. However, the United States had major slavery problems in the confederate states of America. The purpose of the Proclamation was to reunite the country and end slavery. Therefore, the Emancipation Proclamation is a significant part of our history that was created by Abraham Lincoln to abolish slavery in the confederate states of America during the 1860's. First off, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on September 22, 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. The document stated that in any state, or part of the state, that was in rebellion against the United States and had slaves, on January 1, 1863 those slaves would be free. Although this document declared that slaves were to be freed in most of the southern states, it did have some limitations. For example, the Proclamation only freed the slaves in the confederate states that were not under Union control. There were some areas and border states where slavery was still legal, but they were part of the Union. Unfortunately, the slaves in these states were not immediately freed. Consequently, as for the rest of the Southern states, the slaves would not be free until the Union was able to defeat the Confederacy. Furthermore, President Abraham Lincoln also stated in the document that the federal government and military would recognize and maintain the freedom of the freed slaves. For example, when the Union army made its way across the South, it became an army of liberation. This meant that when the Union army captured an area of the Confederacy, it would automatically free the slaves in that region. Similarly, President Lincoln continued to clarify that African-American men that are in suitable condition would be allowed to enlist in the Union army and navy. This not only gave the African-American men personal freedom but was a significant part in the Union's victory of the Civil War. Another important detail President Lincoln explained was that the newly freed slaves were to avoid violence unless in self-defense. Also, most notably he recommended that the newly freed slaves work for wages. Altogether, President Abraham Lincoln ended the document by explaining that the Emancipation Proclamation was truly an act of justice for the slaves. Ultimately, the Emancipation Proclamation was one of President Abraham Lincoln's highest achievements during his presidency. Although the Proclamation had some limitations, it redefined the purpose of the Civil War. In fact, the war was originally about preserving the Union, but after Lincoln created the Proclamation, the primary focus was changed to freeing the slaves. To further explain, the Emancipation Proclamation is an important part of our history because it allowed the slaves in the confederate states to be free. If President Lincoln did not write this Proclamation, then African-Americans would probably not have the freedom and rights that they have today. Overall, the Emancipation Proclamation was the beginning of uniting the country and abolishing slavery in the confederate states.

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