jan 1, 1863 - Emancipation Proclamation

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President Abraham Lincoln was the man who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.This stated that all slaves in the states at war with the Union would be "then, thenceforward, and forever free." The Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free a single slave. The states that had slaves within the Union were still able to possess slaves. When the emancipation proclamation went into effect, the war was now being fought against slavery, not just secession and rebellion. It also allowed slaves to fight on the side of the Union army and fight for their freedom.

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