jan 1, 1863 - Emancipation Proclamation (POL)

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Lincoln’s Proclamation gave slaves the freedom to flee their captors and go north into the Union. Although Lincoln had no authority in the Confederacy, his role as President of the United States proved strong as the Confederacy was not recognized officially by any diplomatic country. The sudden mass migration of slaves to the north put to rest the notion that slaves were happy in their current predicament. Britain eventually sided with the Union against the Confederacy as they themselves had just abolished slavery as well.

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