jan 1, 1863 - Emancipation Proclamation (1863) President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves in those states that had rebelled. A looming problem was that the slaves freed by emancipation would have risked re- enslavement after the war unless their liberty was quickly reaffirmed. The solution to this problem, one that Lincoln urged, was the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1865, which completely abolished slavery throughout the United States.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1863
Now
~ 162 years ago